Preview:PSV Eindhoven vs. Groningen - prediction, team news, lineups

Free-scoring PSV Eindhoven are seven places ahead of Groningen in the embryonic Eredivisie table heading into gameweek three's match at Philips Stadion on Saturday.

Peter Bosz's team have scored eight goals across the opening two rounds, and the defending league champions are favourites to beat an opponent they have defeated nine times in their previous 10 meetings.

Match preview

If anyone thought PSV would relent after claiming consecutive Eredivisie titles, they were mistaken, as Boeren have started the 2025-26 season in excellent form.

The 26-time Eredivisie champions secured the first trophy of the season with a comeback win over Go Ahead Eagles in the Super Cup, followed by top-flight victories over Sparta Rotterdam and Twente, winning 6-1 and 2-0 respectively.

Having crushed Sparta in their opening home fixture, Bosz's team are clear favourites to secure another win in front of their supporters on Saturday.

This expectation is reinforced by PSV's dominance in this fixture, highlighted by a run of nine league wins in the past 10 encounters, with Groningen's only success during that period coming in October 2022.

Since that 4-2 loss in Groningen, PSV have secured three consecutive wins with an aggregate score of 14-1, emphasising the one-sided nature of these matches.

Dick Lukkien has yet to defeat Bosz since taking charge of De FC, suffering defeats in both fixtures last season, including the November 2024 5-0 drubbing in Eindhoven.

The corresponding fixture from the previous season saw Groningen overwhelmed by a prolific Ricardo Pepi hat-trick, and the visitors, who have lost 11-0 in their last two visits to Philips Stadion, aim to mount a stronger resistance this weekend.

Their hopes are buoyed by last weekend's 2-1 win against Heerenveen, which marked their first victory of the new season.

That win was just what the doctor ordered for The FC, whose Eredivisie opener ended in a 4-1 defeat at AZ Alkmaar, and they face a tough task to avoid back-to-back away defeats to start the season.

Having recorded only two away victories in the previous campaign, Trots van het Noorden’s away woes have continued into this term, with no sign of easing before their upcoming trip to a ground they have not won at since March 2014, when they triumphed 3-2.

PSV Eindhoven Eredivisie form:

PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):

Groningen Eredivisie form:

Team News

Despite scoring eight times so far, PSV have had seven different goalscorers in 2025-26, highlighting the defending champions’ diverse match-winning talent.

Joey Veerman and Ivan Perisic have added two assists to their goals, bringing them to three goal involvements heading into the third round of matches.

However, they could be without Alassane Plea, who was substituted after 22 minutes against Twente, and Mauro Junior, who was withdrawn in the second half due to injury issues.

The potentially injured pair would join Pepi, who scored a hat-trick in this fixture last season, meaning Guus Til could start up front, and Sergino Dest might move from right-back to the other flank if Junior is sidelined.

Although Younes Taha was withdrawn in the 83rd minute against Heerenveen, his issue is not severe enough to rule him out this weekend.

However, the visitors are unlikely to be without Fofin Turay, Noam Emeran and Oskar Zawada for Saturday's trip to Eindhoven.

Having failed to score in his final nine appearances of 2024-25 and the 4-1 defeat to AZ, Brynjolfur Darri Willumsson scored a brace in last weekend's victory against Utrecht, including a match-winning goal in the 94th minute, and the forward aims to be decisive in consecutive rounds.

PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:

Kovar; Sildillia, Flamingo, Gasiorowski, Dest; Saibari, Schouten, Veerman; Perisic, Til, Van Bommel

Groningen possible starting lineup:

Jurjus; Rente, Blokzijl, Peersman, Prins; De Jonge, Resink; Taha, Van Bergen, Schreuders; Willumsson

We say: PSV Eindhoven 4-1 Groningen

Despite last week’s clean sheet at Twente, PSV faced 19 shots in the fixture, highlighting Bosz’s team's tendency to give opponents a chance at goal.

While this indicates that Groningen should find the net on Saturday, the Eredivisie defending champions’ goal-scoring skill and match-winning ability across the pitch should prevail over Lukkien’s side in Eindhoven.

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