Groningenvs.PSV

Despite being the second-lowest scorers with 26 goals, only surpassing bottom-placed Almere City (18), the Pride of the North are vying for a top-eight position that could ensure potential European involvement next term, and Dick Lukkien's side hope to defeat an opponent that has declined since the start of the year.

Match preview

Groningen's ambition following their swift promotion was likely to avoid immediate relegation; however, last season's Eerste Divisie runners-up have thrived in 2024-25, currently occupying eighth place after 27 matches.

While Lukkien's troops are unlikely to replicate the seventh-place finish achieved under Danny Buijs in 2020-21, sitting 12 points behind Go Ahead Eagles in the standings, De FC are undoubtedly in contention for the post-regular season European playoffs.

As many as eight teams have a realistic chance of finishing in eighth, with Groningen on 32 points just four points above 15th-placed Sparta Rotterdam before round 28.

Nevertheless, all eight clubs — Groningen, Fortuna Sittard, Heracles, Heerenveen, NEC, NAC Breda, PEC Zwolle and Sparta — will hope that KNVB Cup finalists AZ and Go Ahead Eagles both finish outside the top four yet within the top eight.

If the domestic cup winners fall outside the top four, it would mean that these eight clubs will compete for two playoff places instead of one, with the ninth position offering an additional slot.

With that scenario still uncertain, Lukkien will urge his players to aim for a top-eight finish in the closing rounds.

That aspiration took a hit on Tuesday when Groningen suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of free-scoring Feyenoord, marking Pride of the North's heaviest loss since a 5-0 thrashing against this weekend's visitors from Eindhoven.

That significant victory for Peter Bosz's men in November placed PSV four points ahead of Utrecht and six clear of Ajax, and that lead over the Amsterdam outfit was maintained heading into 2025; however, the Peasants now trail by nine points.

The Red and Whites have seen a grim decline in performances and results since the turn of the year, evident by only tallying three wins in 10 matches in 2025, drawing four and losing three.

The latest setback was against Ajax in Eindhoven on Sunday, with the 2-0 loss costing Bosz's team a chance to narrow the gap to three points — instead, the Peasants find themselves nine points behind.

With title hopes waning, PSV must secure maximum points in their seven remaining fixtures to have any chance of overtaking their Amsterdam rivals as the season nears its conclusion, an unlikely outcome given their performances since the start of the year.

Boeren rank 11th for matches played in 2025 alone, with their 13 points significantly lower than Ajax's 28, who have achieved nine victories and one draw from 10 attempts, and the team's goalscoring slump further highlights the decline in Eindhoven.

Bosz's squad have netted 19 times in 10 matches, averaging 1.9 goals per game, a stark contrast to their earlier tally of 59 goals in 17 games before 2025, a mean of 3.5 goals per match.

This ongoing slide puts PSV's second-place standing in jeopardy, with in-form Feyenoord just five points behind and Utrecht in fourth trailing by six with seven games remaining.

While potentially losing the title to rivals Ajax would sting, failing to secure a top-two finish to guarantee Champions League participation would be a severe setback for Bosz, who appeared well on track for consecutive Eredivisie titles at one point.

Nonetheless, the away side will aim to leverage their historical advantage in this matchup — the Peasants have recorded nine wins in 10 previous encounters — to get back to winning ways and maintain at least a five-point lead over Feyenoord.

Groningen Eredivisie form:

W

W

D

W

D

L

PSV Eindhoven Eredivisie form:

D

D

L

W

W

L

PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):

L

L

W

D

W

L

Team News

Groningen will evaluate Fofin Turay, Maxim Mariani and Sven Bouland before this weekend's 28th round against PSV.

The hosts are remarkably low-scoring, as underscored by Brynjolfur Willumsson and Jorg Schreuders bagging four goals each and Thom van Bergen netting three.

While Bosz may welcome back Lucas Perez after illness, Ricardo Pepi is sidelined for the season due to a knee injury.

Only Sem Steijn (22 goals) and Troy Parrott (14) have outscored Luuk de Jong (12) in the Eredivisie this season, and the forward, who has struck three game-winners, aims to increase his tally on Saturday.

Also crucial to PSV's prospects are Ismael Saibari, Joey Veerman and Noa Lang, who have assisted nine, eight and eight goals respectively this season; only Go Ahead Eagles' Oliver Antman (12) has more, while Feyenoord's Igor Paixao is tied with Saibari.

Groningen possible starting lineup:

Vaessen; Rente, Ekdal, Blokzijl, Prins; Bacuna, Resink; Schreuders, Valente, Kwakman; Van Bergen

PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:

Benitez; Dest, Flamingo, Boscagli, Malacia; Til, Veerman, Saibari; Perisic, De Jong, Lang

We say: Groningen 1-1 PSV Eindhoven

While PSV returned to winning ways away from home against Waalwijk in mid-March to snap a four-match winless run (three losses) on the road, Groningen's rearguard should present more resistance than the team with the worst defensive record.

Written by

Anthony Brown

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