Groningen will welcome RKC Waalwijk on Saturday afternoon, with the hosts hoping to continue their impressive start in the Eredivisie, having picked up a 2-1 win in their recent league fixture over AZ Alkmaar.
Waalwijk, meanwhile, will also be in high spirits after their 3-2 triumph against VVV-Venlo last weekend, as Fred Grim's side set out to record their third win on the bounce.
Match preview
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Groningen will be pleased with their recent league result, after Danny Buijs's men managed to come back from a goal down to secure the three points away at AZ last Sunday in a dramatic encounter between the two sides.
During the game, Teun Koopmeiners got the first goal for AZ, before Fredrik Midtsjo was sent off for a second yellow in the early moments of the second half. Ahmed El Messaoudi then netted a brace, with Bruno Martins Indi and Mohamed El Hankouri also receiving red cards in the late stages of the match.
This means that Groningen have now registered six wins out of their opening 11 matches, currently sitting in sixth place in the table.
However, their home record this term has been particularly impressive, with the hosts now unbeaten in their previous five home matches in the league - drawing two and winning three, including a notable 1-0 win against Ajax during the early moments of the season.
Waalwijk, on the other hand, have finally started to find their form in recent weeks, with the side now unbeaten in their previous three league games.
This includes their 3-2 win against VVV last Saturday, featuring a winner from Lennerd Daneels in the final five minutes.
They also managed to pick up an impressive 2-0 victory away against Twente the previous week, ending their five-match winless run in style.
Their recent results mean that Waalwijk now sit 12th in the table - just eight points behind their opponents, and a win this weekend could see them climb another three places.
If they do manage to claim a victory on Saturday, it will be the first time Waalwijk have picked up three consecutive wins in the Eredivisie since September 2011.
Groningen last met Waalwijk back in October last year during the 2019-20 campaign, with the team claiming a comfortable 3-0 win against their opponents.
Groningen Eredivisie form: WWDLWW
RKC Waalwijk Eredivisie form: WWDLLD
RKC Waalwijk form (all competitions): WWDLLL
Team News
After receiving a straight red in their 2-1 win over AZ, El Hankouri will miss the upcoming game against Waalwijk while he serves his suspension.
Arjen Robben also remains on the sidelines for his boyhood club, with the 36-year-old currently suffering from a set of injuries.
As for Waalwijk, they currently have no injury troubles when they travel to Groningen on Saturday, much to the delight of Grim.
Therefore, the Dutch manager is expected to opt for the same side that beat VVV last time out, with Finn Stokkers keeping his place up front.
Groningen possible starting lineup:
Padt; Dankerlui, Itakura, Van Hintum, Gudmundsson; Matusiwa, Van Kaam; Suslov, El Messaoudi, Joosten; Larsen
RKC Waalwijk possible starting lineup:
Lamprou; Bakari, Meulensteen, Touba, Quasten; Van der Veene, Anita, Tahiri; Ngonge, Stokkers, John
We say: Groningen 2-1 RKC Waalwijk
Although Waalwijk have been in superb form recently, we think Groningen's impressive home record should be enough for them to confirm the three points this weekend. However, it should be a close encounter between the two sides, with both teams keen to continue their winning ways.
Top betting tip
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 51.32%. A draw had a probability of 26.1% and a win for RKC Waalwijk had a probability of 22.58%.
The most likely scoreline for a Groningen win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.58%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.21%) and 2-1 (9.2%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.23%), while for a RKC Waalwijk win it was 0-1 (8.14%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 10.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Groningen would win this match.
