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Groningen
Eredivisie | Gameweek 31
May 2, 2021 at 1.30pm UK
Euroborg
Sparta Rotterdam logo

Groningen
1 - 2
Sparta

FT(HT: 0-1)
Harroui (27'), Beugelsdijk (56')
Meijers (37')

Preview: Groningen vs. Sparta Rotterdam - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Eredivisie clash between Groningen and Sparta Rotterdam, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Groningen play host to Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday looking to stem the current tide that has seen them lose three of their last four matches.

Meanwhile, the visitors returned to winning ways last time out, and they have only lost one of their last seven matches.


Match preview

Henk Fraser, now in charge of Sparta Rotterdam, pictured in 2017© Reuters

Sparta Rotterdam made it three home victories on the spin with a 2-0 victory over VVV-Venlo at the Het Kasteel on Saturday.

Laros Duarte and Bryan Smeets scored in either half to hand Henk Fraser's men their 10th Eredivisie triumph of the season.

De Kasteelheren moved into 11th place on the log courtesy of that win, and they are level on points with ninth-placed Twente in the race for a top-half finish.

Up next for Saturday's visitors is a trip to a ground where they have struggled in recent meetings against their hosts.

Since 2015, Sparta have only won one of five away games against Saturday's opponents, which was a narrow 1-0 victory in a friendly.

Groningen suffered yet another setback away from home as they were beaten 1-0 by PSV Eindhoven at the Philips Stadion on Saturday.

In a game where the hosts had a number of goals disallowed by VAR, Eran Zahavi's penalty just after the hour mark was enough to settle the contest.

Danny Buijs's men are still on course to qualify for Europe next season with their lead over eighth-placed Heracles still at seven points.

The Green-White Army have their frugal defence to thank for their exploits this season, taking into consideration the fact that they have scored the fewest number of goals of any team in the top 13.

Groningen Eredivisie form:
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • L

Sparta Rotterdam Eredivisie form:
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • W



Team News

The visitors will have to cope with the absence of Tim Coremans, who has missed the last nine months of action due to a shoulder problem.

Lennart Thy was on target for Sparta in the reverse fixture, and he will be looking to add to his tally of 12 Eredivisie goals which is his best-ever return.

Bart van Hintum missed Groningen's loss to PSV last time out due to a knock which is set to keep him out of Sunday's game as well.

In the aforementioned game, Alessio Da Cruz was hauled off in the opening 30 minuted due to an injury, so his involvement in this weekend's game is still uncertain.

Groningen possible starting lineup:
Padt; Dammers, Itakura, Te Wierik, Dankerlui; Schreck, Van Kaam; Suslov, El Hankouri, Gudmundsson; Strand Larsen

Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Abels, Heylen, Beugelsdijk, Fortes; Auassar, Burger, Smeets; Duarte, Mijnans, Thy


SM words green background

We say: Groningen 1-0 Sparta Rotterdam

Groningen have shown that they have the ability to grind out wins without necessarily being an attacking force. We anticipate a cagey affair in this one, with the hosts coming out victorious by the odd goal.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



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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 48.73%. A draw had a probability of 26.3% and a win for Sparta Rotterdam had a probability of 24.99%.

The most likely scoreline for a Groningen win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.72%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.38%) and 2-1 (9.15%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.41%), while for a Sparta Rotterdam win it was 0-1 (8.42%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 6.1% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Groningen vs Sparta

Groningen
63.6%
Draw
18.2%
Sparta Rotterdam
18.2%
11
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Willem II31206564283666
2Roda JC311710456263061
3Groningen30176757273057
4ADO Den HaagADO Den Haag311510663412255
5Dordrecht311412557431454
6De GraafschapDe Graafschap31164114643352
7NAC BredaNAC Breda31147105344949
8Jong AZJong AZ31137114847146
9Cambuur31126136361242
10VVV-VenloVVV-Venlo31119114548-342
11EmmenEmmen30126124245-342
12Helmond SportHelmond31118124545041
13MVV MaastrichtMVV31117135052-240
14FC EindhovenFC Eindhoven3181493843-538
15Jong AjaxJong Ajax3199134752-536
16TOP OssOss3192202550-2529
17Jong PSVJong PSV3177174668-2228
18TelstarTelstar3176183253-2127
19Den BoschDen Bosch3158182857-2923
20Jong FC UtrechtJong Utrecht3158182759-3223


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