Groningen and Cambuur will meet on the final day of the Eredivisie campaign looking for the victory which may earn them a place in the top half of the standings.
As it stands, the two clubs sit locked on the same points in 11th and 12th position respectively, each team having put together an abysmal run of form during the run-in.
Match preview
There was a time earlier this season when Groningen would have hoped to stay in the mix for the top five in the standings, admittedly an ambitious target given the gulf in class to the top five.
However, Danny Buijs has instead overseen a disastrous drop off in form, Groningen losing six matches in a row and conceding 15 goals in the process.
Had the season been extended by a month, the Pride of the North would have been looking over their shoulder towards the relegation zone, the gap to 16th spot now just four points.
Instead, Groningen can attempt to restore some pride on familiar territory by ending a three-match losing streak at home and posting just their fifth win at Euroborg.
Last time out, Groningen went down 3-0 at FC Twente, the fourth time in six outings that they have conceded three goals in a match.
Despite their losing streak, there is an argument that Groningen should remain favourites for this contest with Cambuur having gone nine games without success.
A six-match losing streak of their own has been followed by three draws, the latest coming at home to 17th-placed Willem II after they had held a half-time lead.
The change in manager has not helped matters, Henk de Jong being forced to sit out the rest of the season due to health issues, but Dennis Haar will hope that he can at least end an otherwise respectable campaign on a high note.
Such was the fixture list in the Eredivisie that the reverse contest took place on the opening day of the season, Groningen prevailing by a 2-1 scoreline on that occasion.
- L
- L
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- L
- L
- L
- D
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- D
Team News
Buijs will almost certainly make several changes to his Groningen XI with Tomas Suslov likely to return in midfield.
Fellow youngster Paulos Abraham should also return in a creative role, with Daleho Irandust and Romano Postema in line to drop out.
Yahya Kalley may also be given a chance after failing to make an appearance since February.
Haar is also expected to tinker with his Cambuur side with Jamie Jacobs in contention to come back into the middle of the pitch.
Tom Boere could feature down the centre of the attack, taking the spot of Roberts Uldrikis, but Mitchel Paulissen should retain his place having supplied the assist for Sekou Sylla last time out.
Groningen possible starting lineup:
Leeuwenburgh; Kasanwirjo, Te Wierik, Kalley; Hankouri, Suslov, Duarte, Meijer; Ngonge, De Leeuw, Abraham
Cambuur possible starting lineup:
Stevens; Schmidt, Tol, Schouten, Sylla; Breij, Jacobs, Maulun; Paulissen, Boere, Kallon
We say: Groningen 1-1 Cambuur
To a large extent, both clubs can throw caution to the win on Sunday in the hope of securing a much-needed three points. However, there is also value in each team not ending the season with a defeat, something which may lead to a low-scoring draw being played out.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Groningen win with a probability of 57.57%. A draw had a probability of 22.1% and a win for Cambuur had a probability of 20.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Groningen win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.01%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.93%) and 2-0 (9.54%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.41%), while for a Cambuur win it was 0-1 (5.46%). The actual scoreline of 2-3 was predicted with a 1.8% likelihood.
Top tip
Darren Plant
