Groningen and FC Utrecht will look to record a second consecutive Eredivisie victory when they square up against each other at the Hitachi Capital Mobility Stadion on Saturday.

The clash has all the makings of a close run thing as the sides were neck and neck for the majority of last season, finishing just three points and one place apart.

Match preview

Utrecht claimed an emphatic 4-0 win in their opening league fixture versus Sparta Rotterdam at the Stadion Galgenwaard on Sunday.

Goals from Adam Maher, Mark van der Maarel, Anastasios Douvikas and Simon Gustafsson secured a convincing victory for Rene Hake's men.

The Domstedelingen currently occupy second spot behind reigning champions Ajax who were the only team to have won by a larger margin in gameweek one.

Next up for them is a trip to a ground where they are on a four-game unbeaten run across all competitions, picking up two wins and two draws apiece.

Overall, Saturday's visitors are yet to taste defeat in any of their last eight encounters against the hosts since a 2-1 loss four years ago.

Groningen left it late to get the better of newly-promoted Cambuur in their Eredivisie season-opener on Sunday, which ended 2-1.

The game was heading for a share of the spoils after Robin Maulun had cancelled out Ahmed El Messaoudi's first-half strike, but Jorgen Strand Larsen had the final say as he came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner.

Danny Buijs's men, buoyed by their late victory last time out, now go in search of another triumph albeit against tougher opposition this time.

Given their current form on home turf where they are without defeat in any of the last three games, Saturday's hosts have enough reason to believe that they can emerge victorious this weekend.

Team News

Reda Akmum is unavailable for the visitors as he continues his spell on the sidelines with a knee injury which he picked up in February.

Tommy St Jago featured in the away side's final pre-season friendly versus Fortuna, but the 21-year-old defender picked up a knee problem and has not featured since.

Nineteen-year-old Paulos Abraham is yet to make his first appearance of the season as he continues to nurse an ankle injury.

Ramon-Pascal Lundqvist and Radinio Balker are currently battling with muscle and hamstring injuries respectively, ruling the duo of this weekend's game.

Groningen possible starting lineup:
Leeuwenburgh; Te Wierik, Kasanwirjo, Gudmundsson, El Hankouri; Dammers, Matusiwa, El Messaoudi; Ngonge, Strand Larsen, Suslov

FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:
Paes; Warmerdam, Janssen, Ter Avest, Benamar; Ramselaar, Timber, Maher; Kerk, Boussaid, Douvikas

We say: Groningen 1-2 FC Utrecht

The teams are closely matched and either of them could end up with all three points come the full-time whistle. However, the visitors have the slight edge judging by their head-to-head record and we fancy them to carry the day.

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