Groningen vs Utrecht
Groningen edge Utrecht in tight tussle
Early and early second-half strikes set Groningen on course before Utrecht's late reply.
Groningen took the lead early through B. Willumsson and doubled their advantage just after the break with T. van Bergen's goal. Utrecht's A. Blake pulled one back in the 79th minute, but it wasn't enough to salvage a point. This 2-1 victory defied Fipster's low-confidence prediction of a draw, proving Groningen's edge on the day.
Analysis
As the new season kicks off, Groningen and Utrecht face off in what promises to be a closely contested match. Both teams are yet to open their accounts in the league, setting the stage for a battle where neither side will want to lose ground early on.
This fixture marks the first round of the regular season, with Groningen sitting 18th and Utrecht 11th in the league standings, both on zero points. Historically, Utrecht has had the upper hand in their head-to-head meetings, winning half of their 18 encounters, while Groningen have claimed victory only three times, with six matches ending in draws.
The head-to-head record suggests a slight edge for Utrecht, but the average goals per match between these sides is a modest 2.1, indicating a balanced affair. Both teams will be eager to start their campaigns positively, but the data points to a match where defences might hold firm, resulting in a shared point each.
Prediction
The most probable outcome is a draw, with a 37% chance, and the predicted scoreline is 1-1. The confidence level of 39% reflects some uncertainty but leans towards a balanced match where both teams find the net once. Expect a competitive game with a few cards, as the prediction includes a total of three bookings.
Outcome probability
Key Takeaways
In summary, Groningen and Utrecht are likely to cancel each other out in this season opener. Fans can anticipate a tight, tactical game with moments of attacking promise from both sides, culminating in a fair 1-1 draw to kick off the campaign.
- Utrecht leads head-to-head with 9 wins to Groningen's 3 in 18 matches, with 6 draws.
- Average goals per head-to-head match is 2.1, indicating moderate scoring.
- Groningen are ranked 18th in the league with 0 points from 0 games.
- Utrecht are ranked 11th in the league with 0 points from 0 games.
- The predicted full-time score is 1-1 with a 39% confidence level.
- A total of 3 cards are expected in the match.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — Groningen
Away — Utrecht
No standout best passers flagged for Utrecht
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Willumsson
Rente
Goal Disallowed - offside
van Bergen
Pohl
Min
Cathline
Horemans
Prins
Blake
Assist: van den Berg
Willumsson
Clement
Alarcón
de Wit
Yellow Card
van Overeem
Yellow Card
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  AZ Alkmaar | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | +11 | 15 |
| 8 |  Fortuna Sittard | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 7 |
| 9 |  Groningen | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 7 |
| 10 |  NEC Nijmegen | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | +2 | 6 |
| 15 |  ADO Den Haag | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -7 | 1 |
| 16 |  Utrecht | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -9 | 1 |
| 17 |  Willem II | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -9 | 1 |
Match Statistics
Groningen
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 1E. VaessenG
- 2Wouter PrinsD
- 3T. BlokzijlD
- 5M. RenteD
- 8T. de JongeM
- 9B. WillumssonF
- 14J. SchreudersD
- 17D. van der WerffM
- 18T. LandM
- 24P. ClementM
- 26T. van BergenM
Substitutes
- 7T. HernesM
- 13L. ŠtubljarG
- 15E. van der LaanD
- 20Nils EggensF
- 29Tyrique MerceraD
- 31R. JanseG
- 34R. MetuF
- 44Besnik MashukuM
- 53J. HallM
Utrecht
4-3-3Starting XI
- 2S. HoremansD
- 8J. van OvereemM
- 9D. MinF
- 10Y. CathlineF
- 11Ángel AlarcónF
- 20D. de WitM
- 23N. VesterlundD
- 25M. BrouwerG
- 44M. EerdhuijzenD
- 53F. PohlM
- 92A. ZagréD
Substitutes
- 6G. OfferhausD
- 14Zidane IqbalM
- 15A. BlakeF
- 30K. ParedesM
- 32P. KloosterboerD
- 33K. GadellaaG
- 34D. van den BergM
- 47E. C. OwenF
Groningen
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David van der Werff | M | 95 | 8.6 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4/6 |
| Etienne Vaessen | G | 95 | 8.6 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — |
| Thom van Bergen | M | 95 | 7.6 | 1 | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2/3 |
| Brynjólfur Darri Willumsson | F | 81 | 7.3 | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| Thijmen Blokzijl(C) | D | 95 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tygo Land | M | 95 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | 3 | — |
| Marco Rente | D | 30 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pelle Clement | M | 81 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/2 |
| Jorg Schreuders | D | 95 | 6.2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Wouter Prins | D | 71 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/2 |
| Tika de Jonge | M | 95 | 6.0 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 0/3 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Jahelille Hall | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jismerai Dillema | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lovro Štubljar | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rijk Janse | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nils Eggens | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Metu | F | 14 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Travis Hernes | M | 14 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Elvis Van der Laan | D | 65 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tyrique Mercera | D | 24 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Utrecht
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Zagre | D | 95 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | 4 | — |
| Niklas Vesterlund | D | 95 | 6.9 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | — |
| Joris van Overeem(C) | M | 95 | 6.7 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1/1 |
| Michael Brouwer | G | 95 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Yoann Cathline | F | 62 | 6.6 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 0/3 |
| Siebe Horemans | D | 70 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Ferdinand Pohl | M | 62 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dani De Wit | M | 95 | 6.3 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 0/1 |
| David Min | F | 62 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/1 |
| Mike Eerdhuijzen | D | 95 | 6.0 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Ángel Alarcón | F | 84 | 5.9 | — | — | 3 | 2 | — | 2/2 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Emmanuel Owen | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Per Kloosterboer | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kevin Gadellaa | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Adrian Blake | F | 33 | 7.9 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 0/1 |
| Guus Offerhaus | D | 25 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Davy van den Berg | M | 33 | 6.9 | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | — |
| Zidane Iqbal | M | 33 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1/2 |
| Kevin Paredes | M | 11 | 6.3 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 0/1 |