Groningen — Feyenoord : Match Preview and Prediction for September 28,2025

Groningen’s Strong Home Defensive Performance

Early in the season, Groningen has established itself as a formidable home team in the Dutch championship. A look at their first three home matches for the “White-Greens” reveals impressive results: Heerenveen (2:1), Heracles (4:0), Telstar (2:0). In these three encounters, they conceded only a single goal. However, it’s important to note that the last two home matches were against current league outsiders, teams not known for high scoring. Nevertheless, Groningen has genuinely demonstrated improved defensive organization recently. For example, on September 14, the club visited a strong Utrecht side, which had scored 11 goals in their initial four rounds. Groningen secured a 1:0 victory against such an opponent. The success was well-deserved according to xG, with a 1.69-1.24 advantage. While the defense made a few errors, goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen performed reliably, saving all three shots on target.

Groningen’s Early Season Defensive Struggles

Despite their recent improvements, Groningen conceded a total of nine goals in their opening six league matches. Eight of these were scored against them in away fixtures against AZ (1:4) and PSV (2:4). Here, the high caliber of the opponents, playing with home crowd support, must be considered. Moreover, both significant defeats occurred at the very start of the season when the “White-Greens” were still finding their rhythm. The team has since gained significant momentum and now operates with greater defensive cohesion near their own goal.

Feyenoord’s Defensive Prowess

After the initial six league rounds, Feyenoord boasts the league’s most robust defense, having conceded the fewest goals overall (4). Notably, three of these were conceded in their last league match, an away fixture against AZ (3:3). If the Rotterdam club allowed AZ to score three goals, then Groningen’s four conceded goals in some matches become more understandable. However, those three goals against AZ away were largely a result of a terrible performance by goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther, who saved only two out of five shots on target. The opponent’s xG was only 1.21, yet they managed to score three. Generally, Feyenoord’s defensive reliability stems not from their goalkeeper but from their well-structured team play. Their active high press prevents opponents from creating numerous dangerous chances. Prior to the match against AZ, the preceding five opponents managed only five shots on Feyenoord’s goal – the same number as AZ. Teams like Fortuna and Breda didn’t even register a single shot on target, taking only 12 shots in total. In the confrontation with AZ, central defender Anel Ahmedhodzic received a red card. Given this significant loss, Robin van Persie will likely be forced to shift focus towards a more pragmatic approach.

Feyenoord’s European Exertion and Potential Fatigue

On September 24, Feyenoord visited Braga for a Europa League group stage match and suffered a 0:1 defeat. Despite the loss, the strong Portuguese club’s xG was only 0.67. This is particularly noteworthy considering Braga had scored 24 goals in their previous 10 matches. The match in Portugal undoubtedly demanded considerable effort from the “Southerners.” They are likely to experience fatigue in this upcoming league fixture, which could impact their offensive output.