FC Groningen
- Dick Lukkien took over on 1 July 2023 and has FC Groningen playing a game that looks solid and disciplined, while also giving enough to get themselves into the attacking third.
- A 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation is favoured by the tactician, one that is patient in build-up and then can play fast when they get turnovers that open the field up.
- Their results have been mixed over the last few weeks, with two wins, one draw and two defeats in their previous five games, which is a properly mixed bag.
- Groningen's home form is 3-1-3 across the same five games, so they should be able to make this a difficult game for the away side.
FC Utrecht
- Utrecht will go for the win on Sunday when they travel to Euroborg, Netherlands to face FC Groningen and they can get it if they can hold the line.
- The head-to-head record for this fixture points to a result for the visitors as they have won 4 of the previous 5 meetings, including a 1-2 win when they last visited the Euroborg in Eredivisie 2025/2026.
- Anthony Correia has made his mark on FC Utrecht since taking over on 1 July 2026 and he looks to have them playing a pragmatic game that should suit them for the upcoming season.
- His team set up a mid-block, look to counter quickly and press selectively, and they are a live team in all competitions coming into this game with six wins and four defeats in their last 10 outings.
- A 3-2 home win over V-Varen Nagasaki was followed by a 1-0 victory away to Cambuur Leeuwarden and a 0-1 defeat at home to Sevilla FC.
- A draw could be on the cards as FC Groningen have failed to win any of their three previous home games against Utrecht and the visitors will know exactly what to expect.
Head-to-Head
- FC Utrecht have won 4 of the last 5 meetings between the two clubs.
- The last visit to the Euroborg ended in a 1-2 win for the visitors in Eredivisie 2025/2026.
Betting Insights
- Groningen are the slight betting favourites here at 2.3, but Utrecht are priced up at 2.86 and the draw at 3.5, so there's plenty of value elsewhere.
- Backing goals seems the right thing to do in this fixture, with Over 2.5 at 1.8 and Both Teams To Score - Yes at 1.62.
- Utrecht have scored just 1.00 goals per-game away in all competitions (3 goals in total) while Groningen have scored 9 times in their past seven at home in all competitions, which suggests that we should see plenty of goals.
Prediction
The draw will be a factor in this game, but we're going with FC Groningen or a tie on the Double Chance bet as the smart move here.
