Groningen vs PEC Zwolle Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

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Groningen

vs

PEC Zwolle

KickoffFriday 18 September 2026, 7:00pm

VenueEuroborg

CompetitionDutch Eredivisie

Groningen have been frustrating themselves as much as anyone watching them lately. They started this Eredivisie campaign like a side with a point to prove, picking up six points from their opening two games, and then promptly fell apart. Four games without a win, two of those coming from positions where they were ahead, and you can see why the mood around the Euroborg has shifted. The 1-1 draw at Go Ahead Eagles last weekend was the latest chapter in that story, a lead dropped, two points lost, and a climb up the table that never quite happened.

PEC Zwolle arrive in worse shape, though. If Groningen are frustrated, Zwolle are in genuine trouble. A 7-0 hammering by Feyenoord at home last Sunday was brutal viewing, the kind of result that leaves a gaffer answering awkward questions for days. Henry van der Vegt’s side have slipped into the bottom three and their defensive numbers make grim reading. Something has to give on Friday evening, and the question is which of these two struggling sides finds a way to turn the corner first.

Groningen vs PEC Zwolle Match Details

This is a matchday seven Eredivisie fixture, with Groningen welcoming PEC Zwolle to the Euroborg Stadium in Groningen. It is the final round of league fixtures before the September international break, which adds a little extra edge to proceedings for both sides given where they currently sit in the table.

Team News

Dick Lukkien has a few selection headaches to navigate. The return of Hans Hateboer after nine years away has lifted spirits at the club, but there are still some notable absentees to work around.

• Malcolm Jeng, Tyrique Mercera, Nikolas Brandis and Travis Hernes are all unavailable for Groningen
• Ryan Metu misses out for the sixth consecutive match
• Marco Rente returns to contention after sitting out the previous two games
• Filip Krastev is out for Zwolle with an Achilles tendon injury picked up while on loan at Goztepe
• Younes Namli is also expected to miss out for the visitors
• Ryan Thomas and Sherel Floranus both missed the Feyenoord defeat and their availability is in doubt

Predicted Lineups

Groningen look set to line up in a shape that gives Brynjolfur Willumsson the freedom to influence things in the final third. The Icelandic forward has been the brightest spark for Lukkien’s side this season with four goals in six league outings, and you would expect the gaffer to build around him again. Rente’s return gives the midfield a bit more steel, which they will need.

For Zwolle, Van der Vegt has to pick his players up off the floor after that Feyenoord shellacking and find some defensive shape. The expected lineup is: Groningen: Vaessen; Schreuders, Blokzijl, Csinger, Prins; De Jonge, Land; Van der Werff, Van Bergen, Clement; Willumsson. PEC Zwolle: Schendelaar; Van der Haar, Viergever, Graves, Aertssen; Sommer, Fichtinger; Sorensen, Oosting, Mbayo; Kostons.

Recent Form

Groningen’s form graph this season looks like a cliff edge. Six points from two games gave everyone hope, then two defeats against PSV Eindhoven and Fortuna Sittard knocked the stuffing out of them. They have steadied slightly over the last couple of weeks, going unbeaten in their last two, but dropping a lead at De Adelaarshorst last weekend is exactly the kind of thing that keeps a manager up at night. They cannot afford to go five league games without a win, especially with the memory of a six-match losing run earlier this year still fresh.

One thing worth noting about how Groningen play is their tendency to do damage early. Three quarters of their 12 league goals this season have come in the first half, which tells you they like to set the tempo and get at teams before they settle. That should be a significant advantage against a Zwolle side who have conceded seven first-half goals across their last five outings alone.

Zwolle’s season has been shaped by a brutal opening schedule, with all seven of their opponents so far finishing in the top ten last season. That context softens some of the pain, but it does not fully explain a 7-0 home defeat. They have the joint-second-fewest goals scored in the division, and their 17 goals conceded is worse than everyone except Willem II and FC Utrecht. The good news for Van der Vegt is that after this game, a more manageable run of fixtures awaits, including three newly promoted sides over the next five weeks. But they need to get something on the board first.

Head-to-Head Record

This is one of those fixtures where the headline record is misleading. Groningen have not beaten Zwolle since May 2021, which sounds like a significant advantage for the visitors until you look at the detail. Eight meetings without a Groningen win, six of which ended level. This is a rivalry defined by stalemates, not by Zwolle dominance.

Groningen were arguably the better side in both meetings between these clubs last season and still could not find a way through. If there is a theme in this fixture, it is Groningen doing enough to deserve more but settling for a point. Whether they can finally break that cycle on home turf, with a Zwolle side at a low ebb, is the central question of this preview.

Key Stats

• 75 percent of Groningen’s 12 league goals this season have come in the first half
• Zwolle have conceded 7 first-half goals in their last 5 league matches
• Groningen are winless in 8 meetings with Zwolle, but 6 of those ended in draws
• Willumsson has scored 4 goals in 6 league appearances this season
• Zwolle have conceded 17 goals in 6 league games, one of the worst records in the division

Groningen vs PEC Zwolle Betting Tips

Both teams have scored in all six of Groningen’s league games this season, and Zwolle’s defensive record suggests they will continue to ship goals. The hosts look the stronger side on paper and have the motivation to snap their winless run before the international break. The angle here is Groningen to win in a game where both teams find the net, with goals coming early given how both sides have started their recent matches.

Correct Score Prediction

Groningen 2-1 PEC Zwolle feels right. The hosts have the attacking threat, Willumsson in particular is in fine form, and Zwolle are good enough going forward to nick one back but not solid enough to keep Groningen out for long. A two-goal swing in Groningen’s favour with a Zwolle consolation is the most logical outcome here.

Both Teams To Score (BTTS) Prediction

Yes, both teams to score. Both sides have found the net in every one of Groningen’s six league games this season, and with Zwolle showing they can create chances even in heavy defeats, there is no reason to back a clean sheet here. Back BTTS at yes with confidence.

Cards Prediction

This is a derby with needle, two sides in poor form who both badly need something from this game. Expect a feisty midfield battle and at least three bookings across the ninety minutes. Groningen’s midfield will be aggressive trying to control the game, and Zwolle’s players will be fighting hard to prove a point after that Feyenoord humiliation. Over 3.5 cards looks fair value.

Over and Under Goals Prediction

Over 2.5 goals. Three quarters of Groningen’s goals this season have come in the first half, Zwolle’s defence has been porous throughout, and the pressure on both sides to perform in this final game before the break should open the game up. The conditions are there for goals, and the expected 2-1 scoreline alone takes you over the line.

Bet Builder Tip

All three picks point in the same direction: a Groningen win with goals at both ends ticks every box in one go.

Final Match Prediction

Groningen 2-1 PEC Zwolle. The hosts have been their own worst enemy in recent weeks, throwing away leads and letting games slip through their fingers, but this feels like the moment they finally hold on and get the job done. Willumsson is in the kind of form that lower-table defences find difficult to handle, and Zwolle’s numbers at both ends of the pitch are the worst kind of gift to an attacking side playing at home.

Zwolle will not roll over. They have the quality to create and they will cause Groningen some discomfort, which is why a clean sheet feels unlikely. But on the balance of what we have seen this season, and with the weight of that 7-0 defeat still sitting heavy on their legs and their confidence, Groningen should have enough to claim three points and finally end this frustrating winless run in the fixture.

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