Having potentially decided the 2024-25 Eredivisie title race, Groningen draw the curtain on their league campaign with a visit to the MAC³PARK Stadion on Sunday.
PEC Zwolle, who are unbeaten in each of their most recent three outings, will head into the weekend's finale looking to sneak into the top half of the table and secure a spot in the Conference League playoff places.
Match preview
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PEC Zwolle maintained their impressive late-season form last Wednesday as they secured a 2-1 victory over a dogged Willem II side when the two teams met at the Koning Willem II Stadion.
After falling behind to Younes Namli's 26th-minute opener, Willem fought back into the tie as Jesse Bosch restored parity in the 72nd minute but Eliano Reijnders struck seven minutes later to hand the visitors all three points.
Since April's 4-0 hammering at the hands of Feyenoord, Johnny Jansen's men have gone three back-to-back games without defeat, picking up victories over NAC Breda and Willem II, with a 1-1 stalemate against Go Ahead Eagles on May 11 sandwiched between the two wins.
After weeks of mediocre results, an upturn in form down the stretch of the season has seen Zwolle pull clear of the danger zone and guarantee their top-flight status for another season as they sit 13th in the Eredivisie table, 13 points clear of the relegation playoff spot.
On the other hand, Groningen left title-chasers Ajax shellshocked on Wednesday as they fought back from behind twice to snatch a 2-2 stalemate when the sides squared off at the Euroborg Stadion.
Needing maximum points to maintain their one-point lead at the top of the league table heading into the season finale, Anton Gaessi and Wout Weghorst scored either side of Thom van Bergen's 52nd-minute strike to put Ajax in front but their hearts were dashed in the ninth minute of stoppage time when Thijmen Blokzijl tucked home a dramatic equaliserafter a scrap in the box.
Prior to that, Groningen picked up back-to-back victories over Heracles and Waalwijk, scoring a staggering 10 goals and conceding twice across both games, before crashing down to earth in a 3-0 thrashing against AZ Alkmaar at the AFAS Stadion on May 11.
Dick Lukkien's men have won 10 of their 33 Eredivisie matches so far while losing 14 and claiming nine draws to collect 39 points and sit 12th in the standings, one point and one place above this weekend's hosts, and level on points with 11th-placed Sparta Rotterdam.
While the Trots van het Noorden will be looking to build on the midweek stalemate and potentially clinch eighth-place in the table, they go up against an opposing side who are unbeaten in seven of their last eight encounters, claiming three wins and four draws since February 2020.
Results on the road have also been nothing to write home about as Groningen have lost their most recent three away matches and currently hold the division's joint third-worst away record, having managed just nine points from 16 games — only Waalwijk (7) and Heerenveen (7) have picked up fewer.
Team News
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Tristan Gooijer has been out of action since sustaining a severe knee injury against Utrecht back in August 2024 and the Ajax loanee will play no part in this weekend's clash.
He is joined on the Zwolle injury table by Oliver Aertssen, who is set to sit out his fifth straight games through an ankle problem while Nick Fichtinger is a doubt, having missed the last two matches.
As for Groningen, Lukkien will be unable to name 21-year-old midfielder Luciano Valente, who will miss the season's finale through suspension after picking up a late red card in the heated draw with Ajax last time out.
First-choice goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen also crossed the yellow card threshold with his booking in the aforementioned game, meaning 22-year-old Dirk Baron is in line for his first league start of the season.
On the injury front, the visitors remain without the services of Fofin Turay, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines through an Achilles tendon problem while Maxim Mariani has been ruled out since March through a muscle injury.
PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:
Schendelaar; Reijnders, Jensen, MacNulty, Floranus; El Azzouzi, Namli; Van den Berg, Mbayo, Velanas; Krastev
Groningen possible starting lineup:
Baron; Rente, Ekdal, Blokzijl, Prins; Bacuna, Resink; Schreuders, Seuntjens, Kwakman; Van Bergen
We say: PEC Zwolle 2-1 Groningen
PEC Zwolle and Groningen find themselves within three points of the Europa League qualifying places and we expect both sides to take the game to each other in search of maximum points. The Trots van het Noorden have struggled to impose themselves on the road this season and we predict Jansen's side will make the most of their home advantage.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
