**Groningen's flying right now, but Ajax don't do "easy" — even when they're undercooked.** Both sides are 2-2-1 in their last five, but the Eredivisie's heavyweight favorite is still the favorite. 🔴

Groningen have found some rhythm with back-to-back wins including a 5-1 demolition. Ajax are leaking goals (draws against NEC and Excelsior) and rolling into this without **A. Gaaei**, **C. Henrique**, **K. Dolberg**, and **S. Berghuis**. That's a chunky injury list.

Key storylines:

- **Groningen's form vs Ajax's depth**: The hosts aren't messing around this season, but Ajax still have **M. ter Stegen** in goal and **D. Klaassen** steering the midfield.

- **Blunt attack**: **J. Brandt** and **T. Arokodare** need to click for Ajax; Groningen's **T. Land** and **B. Darri Willumsson** have thrived in the middle.

- **Head-to-head reality**: Ajax lead 53-8 across 71 meetings — the weight of history favors the visitors.

Expected lineups:

- **FC Groningen**: E. Vaessen, W. Prins, T. Blokzijl, M. Csinger, J. Schreuders, T. d. Jonge, P. Clement, B. Darri Willumsson

- **AFC Ajax**: M. ter Stegen, Y. Baas, A. Bouwman, T. Kehrer, L. Rosa, D. Klaassen, S. Adingra, J. Brandt

Prediction:

**Ajax 2–1 Groningen**. The injuries sting, but Ajax edge it away from home. 🎯