Winless against Ajax in Amsterdam since 1994, Groningen travel to the Johan Cruyff Arena in Sunday’s Eredivisie encounter, aware of the possibility of leapfrogging their Amsterdam hosts with a win.
That possibility will drive FC ahead of this weekend’s gameweek 14 encounter, as they look to pile more misery on the sixth-placed side, who fell to a fourth consecutive loss across all competitions during the week.
Match preview
While Ajax started the season without securing away results, their performances in Amsterdam kept the Jews in a good position early on.
However, after four straight wins at the Johan Cruyff Arena, they suffered two defeats and one draw in their last three home league matches, highlighting broader issues within the club.
Johnny Heitinga, the returning head coach, has since paid the price for De Joden’s decline in performance and results following a 3-0 defeat by Galatasaray in the Champions League, with Fred Grim taking over temporarily.
The change has not brought any improvement, as the 36-time Eredivisie champions have suffered three more losses, extending their losing streak to four and remaining winless in five matches (one draw).
With only one victory in 10 across all competitions — just one in six in the Eredivisie — Ajax risk slipping further down the league table if their poor form continues, and this weekend’s visitors would welcome the chance to inflict a fifth successive loss on Grim’s team.
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Having not defeated Ajax since October 2020, losing six and managing one draw in the past seven meetings, Dick Lukkien’s men may never have a better opportunity to end their woeful record in this fixture and leapfrog the side directly above them in the table.
That possibility is perhaps weakened by the away side’s ongoing form, however, with Der FC winless in three league games and four in all competitions.
Like the Amsterdam giants, who have not kept a clean sheet in 15 matches across all competitions since August, Groningen have failed to keep a shut-out in eight games in league and cup, and that defensive weakness will keep costing them points unless a turnaround happens.
That tendency to concede has been evident all season in letting in four goals in defeats by AZ Alkmaar (4-1) and PSV Eindhoven (4-2) in the top flight, as well as a 5-2 hammering by Sparta Rotterdam in the domestic cup.
While Pride of the North recovered from those initial defeats in Alkmaar and Eindhoven to secure three consecutive league victories on the road against FC Utrecht (1-0), NAC Breda (2-1) and Fortuna Sittard (2-1), falling to Sparta in the cup and losing to NEC in their most recent away Eredivisie game at NEC (2-0) have slightly diminished the encouragement derived from those triumphs on their travels.
Still, securing maximum points remains an ambition as Groningen could climb into the top four if they beat Ajax in Amsterdam for the first time in 31 years and results elsewhere are in their favour.
Ajax Eredivisie form:
Ajax form (all competitions):
Groningen Eredivisie form:
Groningen form (all competitions):
Team News
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While Ajax sustained no injuries in their defeat to Benfica, Steven Berghuis (groin) and Branco van den Boomen (back) remain on the treatment table.
Wout Weghorst (six goals) and Mika Godts (five) are the hosts’ leading goalscorers, though both have been helpless as the defence have shipped two or more goals in the last four matches in all competitions.
Although the results have not always followed, Godts has scored or assisted in his last four Eredivisie appearances (three goals, two assists), bringing him to 10 involvements altogether.
With Weghorst not scoring in a month, however, Grim could consider starting Kasper Dolberg for the second time in the league this season, backing the forward after last weekend’s goal in the loss to SBV Excelsior.
Apart from Newcastle United loanee Travis Harris, who was unlikely to play any part anyway, Lukkien has a healthy side to choose from in Sunday’s match.
Thom van Bergen scored twice for Groningen as they twice came from behind against PEC Zwolle, and the forward aims to add to his tally this weekend.
Stije Resink’s creativity has been unmistakable all season, and the central midfielder’s assist against PEC was his fifth, two more than Younes Taha ahead of this weekend’s round.
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Pasveer; Rosa, Sutalo, Baas, Alders; Regeer, Taylor; Edvardsen, Gloukh, Godts; Weghorst
Groningen possible starting lineup:
Vaessen; Rente, Blokzijl, Janse, Peersman; De Jonge, Resink; Der Werff, Taha, Schreuders; Van Bergen
We say: Ajax 2-2 Groningen
While Groningen ideally should be backed for success in Amsterdam, their own troubles at the back mean Sunday’s encounter could go either way.
We expect both sides to score in a thrilling encounter, with the spoils shared between sixth and seventh.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
