FC Volendam raise the curtain on their 2022-23 Eredivisie campaign with a trip to the Euroborg on Sunday to lock horns with Groningen.
The home side will be looking for an improved display following last season's 12th-place finish, while their visitors seek to impress on their return to the top flight.
Match preview
Groningen saw off the threat of La Liga outfit Osasuna in a 2-1 victory on Saturday afternoon to cap off what has been a fine pre-season campaign.
Frank Wormuth's men went into the half-time break with a two-goal lead thanks to strikes from Cyril Ngonge and Neraysho Kasanwirjo before Pablo Ibanez pulled one back 10 minutes into the second half.
Consequently, The Pride of the North have now won each of their last five matches and six of their seven warm-up matches overall which is a cause for optimism heading into the upcoming season.
Next up is the challenge of an opposing side who are looking to avoid a nine consecutive defeat in this fixture all the way back to 2005.
Having lost each of their final four home outings last time out, Sunday's hosts will be keen to come away with all three points here and kick off on a winning note.
Volendam fell to a 2-1 defeat against Panathinaikos in their final club friendly on Thursday at the Apostolos Nikolaidis Sports Ground.
Wim Jonk's men went behind to Dimitrios Kourbelis's 34th-minute penalty but managed to restore parity just before the hour mark through Ibrahim El Kadiri, only for Carlitos to decide the contest 20 minutes from time.
It is now one win in four pre-season games for Het Andere Oranje ahead of their first Eredivisie game since the 2008-09 campaign, when they finished bottom of the standings.
With just one victory in their last nine matches away from home across all competitions, Sunday's visitors have it all to do as they aim to avoid another disappointing outing on the road.
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Team News
Marin Sverko was absent from Groningen's victory over Osasuna, and the defender is a major injury concern for this weekend's contest.
Twenty-year-old Emmanuel Matuta also played no part in the aforementioned game, making him a doubt for Sunday's match as well.
With just two appearances under his belt since the turn of the year, Jan Hoekstra continues his spell on the sidelines through a shoulder problem.
Volendam's Calvin Twigt is a guaranteed absentee for this one as he remains down with a knee problem, while Oskar Buur also misses out due to an ankle injury.
The away side are also set to be without Achraf Douiri and Josh Flint, who are currently nursing hamstring and muscle injuries respectively.
Groningen possible starting lineup:
Verrips; Balker, Kasanwirjo, Te Wierik; Duarte, Lundqvist, Pelupessy, Suslov; Maatta, Larsen, Ngonge
FC Volendam possible starting lineup:
Stankovic; Benamar, Mirani, Plat; Antonucci, Oristanio, Ould Chikh, Van Duijl; Muhren, Murkin, Ould-Chikh
We say: Groningen 2-0 FC Volendam
Groningen head into this one on a better run of results and with a more experienced squad at this level. We are tipping them to see off the threat of Volendam and come away with all three points in the end.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
