Preview: Groningen vs Telstar - prediction, team news, lineups

Groningen will be out to make it three victories in the Eredivisie when they host Telstar in a gameweek six fixture at Euroborg on Saturday.

The hosts are seventh in the standings with nine points from five matches, while their visitors have a solitary point from the same number of games.

Match preview

Groningen claimed a 1-0 victory over Heracles last weekend, a win that saw them move up to seventh position in the table.

Although they did not dominate the fixture like they did in their previous encounter against Heracles, where they recorded a comprehensive 4-0 victory, Dick Lukkien’s men earned all three points, having managed to convert one of their two big chances.

Their early-season success has been largely down to a ferocious attack, which has seen the Pride of the North notch 10 goals in their opening five league fixtures.

At home, the hosts have been ruthless going forward, having recorded 24 goals in their last 10 fixtures in front of their supporters.

That said, Lukkien will be worried about his team’s defence, after shipping nine goals across five matches in the Dutch top flight since the start of the season.

Going into this encounter, the home side have dominated head-to-head clashes between them and Saturday’s opponents with four wins in their last five meetings.

Telstar, on the other hand, have struggled since their promotion to the Dutch top flight, winning only one of their first five fixtures, along with a draw and three losses.

That wretched run leaves them 14th in the standings, a point above the relegation playoff spot, albeit tied on four with NAC Breda.

However, the visiting side have to fix their defensive issues if they harbour hopes of coming away with a positive result at the weekend.

With nine goals conceded after five matches, Anthony Correia’s team are one of the worst teams in the league when defensive statistics are considered.

Groningen Eredivisie form:

Telstar Eredivisie form:

Team News

Noam Emeran will miss out for the hosts when they file out this weekend, as a result of a hamstring injury he is currently recuperating from.

Having secured a victory in their last encounter, Lukkien is likely to send out the same team that featured against AZ Alkmaar this weekend.

That said, Brynjolfur Willumsson is expected to lead the line for the home side when they take to the pitch this weekend.

For the visiting side, Ronald Koeman is expected to be in goal on Saturday, while Devon Koswal, Guus Offerhaus and Danny Bakker are expected to form the back three.

In attack, Soufiane Hetli should lead the line, with support from Jochem Ritmeester van de Kamp and Patrick Brouwer.

Groningen possible starting lineup:

Vaessen; Peersman, Janse, Blokzijl, Rente; Jonge, Resink; Schreuders, Taha, Bergen; Willumsson

Telstar possible starting lineup:

Koeman; Koswal, Offerhaus, Bakker; Noslin, Rossen, Owusu, Hardeveld; Brouwer, Kamp; Hetli

We say: Groningen 3-1 Telstar

From all indications, Groningen appears to be the favourite, and going by current form, they are still favoured to claim all three points. Therefore, we are backing the hosts to earn all three points with a 3-1 scoreline on Saturday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.