Head-to-Head
- Groningen won the last head-to-head match 2-1 at home in the reverse leg of the Derby van het Noorden five months ago to make it 2 wins and 1 loss from the last 3 Eredivisie encounters between these two sides (no draws).
- Sunday’s game could be another close one as the hosts are unbeaten in their last 2 home matches against their neighbours from the North.
- 9th-placed Heerenveen have collected 24 points from 18 games so far in the Eredivisie season, 4 points fewer than 6th-placed Groningen, who sit in 6th with 28 points.
Heerenveen (home)
- Robin Veldman took over at the helm of the Frisian club in March 2025 and has brought a youthful energy, possession-based 4-2-3-1 system, vertical play and a host of young players through the door which has contributed to the side’s unbeaten run of 3 wins and 2 draws from their last 5 in all competitions.
- Heerenveen are unbeaten in their last 2 home meetings with Groningen.
Groningen (away)
- Groningen have enjoyed mixed form over the past month with 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat from their last 5 in all competitions, with their only real low point being a 0-4 home friendly defeat to Norwegian side FK Bodo Glimt.
- Dick Lukkien has been the club’s manager since July 2023 and his tactical nous has kept the Chequered Ones in the top half of the Eredivisie this season with his side’s disciplined, compact 4-4-2 system, patient build-up play and rapid counter-attacks.
Key Players
Jacob Trenskow leads the line for the Frisians with 6 Eredivisie goals from 18 appearances this season and has scored 3 of Heerenveen’s last 10 goals.
Betting Insights
- A 2-2 draw at home to Feyenoord last time out is a slight concern, but Heerenveen have managed to hit a purple patch at just the right time of the season, so make sure you have a flutter on them at 2.18 here.
- The odds for Groningen to get a result are higher than those of Heerenveen, despite both sides being separated by just 4 points in the Eredivisie table.
- As a result, the ‘Over 2.5 goals’ market at 1.8 looks tempting given the recent attacking output and defensive frailties of both teams.
- Heerenveen have won 3, drawn 4 and lost 2 of their 9 home Eredivisie games, conceding 16 goals, while Groningen have won 4, drawn 1 and lost 4 of their 9 away Eredivisie matches, scoring an average of 1.22 goals per game and conceding 1.67 goals per away game.
- For Groningen, Brynjolfur Andersen Willumsson is the top scorer with 6 goals from 14 Eredivisie appearances, but Stije Resink has scored 3 of his side’s last 6 in the previous 5 games, so both are worth a bet for an anytime goal this Sunday.
Prediction
However, a tight game is still likely as Groningen will try to maintain their momentum from their recent away days (W1, D1), and with both teams pushing for a European place, they’ll both be hungry to take all 3 points away.
