Groningen vs PEC Zwolle – News and Probable Lineups

The seventh matchday of the 2026-27 Eredivisie season kicks off as Groningen welcomes PEC Zwolle to the Euroborg Stadium on Friday night.

Both teams arrive at this matchup struggling with form, with the hosts having not won in four consecutive matches, one fewer than their opponents’ current stretch without a victory.

Match overview

Groningen began the campaign well, securing six points from their first two fixtures, but have managed to gather only two points from the subsequent 12 available after again failing to convert a winning position into victory in their latest 1-1 draw against Go Ahead Eagles at De Adelaarshorst on Saturday.

Dick Lukkien’s squad will feel frustrated for not securing all three points, which would have elevated them to seventh place, but they have gone two matches without defeat, recovering from back-to-back losses to PSV Eindhoven and Fortuna Sittard in late August.

The recent return of Hans Hateboer, after a nine-year absence, has boosted morale, and Trots van het Noorden must now deliver a solid performance to prevent going five league matches without a win for the first time since experiencing a six-match losing streak earlier in the year.

In both encounters against Zwolle last season, Groningen performed better but had to settle for a draw on each occasion, prolonging their winless run in this matchup to eight games since May 2021.

A significant portion of Groningen’s 12 league goals this season have been scored in the first half, indicating that the hosts will aim to apply early pressure on Zwolle, who have let in seven first-half goals over their last five matches.

Three of those seven first-half goals were scored in Zwolle’s 7-0 thrashing by Feyenoord at the Mac3Park Stadion on Sunday, representing the largest margin of defeat in Henry van der Vegt’s managerial career.

That result also dropped De Blauwvingers into the lower three of the Eredivisie standings after a challenging start, with their opening opponents, including Groningen, all concluding last season within the top ten.

To rectify their situation, Zwolle must enhance their performance on both fronts, as they have netted the joint-second-fewest goals (only ahead of Telstar) while having conceded 17, more than all except Willem II and FC Utrecht.

PEC’s seemingly impressive unbeaten record against their upcoming opponents may seem appealing initially, but a closer look reveals that six of those eight encounters have ended in draws.

Nonetheless, Friday’s visitors will draw on any motivation they can find as they look to return to winning ways in their last match before the international break in September, after which they face a more promising set of fixtures, involving all three newly promoted teams in the subsequent five matchweeks.

Team News

Groningen will be without defenders Malcolm Jeng, Tyrique Mercera, and Nikolas Brandis, along with Travis Hernes, who is also unavailable due to injury.

Ryan Metu is expected to miss his sixth consecutive match, although Marco Rente is back in contention after sitting out the last two games.

Brynjolfur Willumsson’s equalizer against Go Ahead Eagles marked his fourth goal in six league appearances this season, making him a key player to keep an eye on.

Twenty-four-year-old Filip Krastev is sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury sustained while on loan at Goztepe.

Younes Namli is also forecast to be absent, joining Ryan Thomas and Sherel Floranus in the treatment room, both of whom missed the match against Feyenoord.

Groningen probable starting XI:

Vaessen; Schreuders, Blokzijl, Csinger, Prins; The Young, Country; Van der Werff, Van Bergen, Clement; Willumsson

PEC Zwolle probable starting XI:

violator; Van der Haar, Viergever, Graves, Aertssen; Sommer, Fichtinger; Sorensen, Oosting, Mbayo; Kostons

Given that both teams have managed to score in each of their last six encounters, Groningen has been involved in exciting matches this season, and we anticipate that Friday’s fixture will reflect this trend.

Nevertheless, we expect the home side to secure a victory and exacerbate the struggles of their opponents.