FC UTRECHT v FC GRONINGEN
Football : Holland : Dutch Eredivisie
Friday 11th March 2011 – Kickoff 7.45pm

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FC Utrecht take on Groningen in Friday night's match bidding to keep hold of eighth spot which will mean qualification for the Europa League play-off spot, but they need to start winning and converting single points into all three points.

FC Utrecht (8th - 38 pts)

Utrecht have drawn their last six league matches, and whilst it's eight games without loss, the frustrations are beginning to creep in as they cannot convert into wins. Last weekend saw Roda grab a point in a 1-1 draw, but even as Utrecht are hard to beat, they also haven't won in a while.

The Utrecht home form is solid though at 7-4-1 26/11, with top scorer Wolfswinkel (13 goals), Mertens (6 goals) and Duplan (4 goals) providing the bulk of their power going forward. They have Schut as doubtful.

FC Groningen (5th - 44 pts)

Friday's visitors, Groningen, are on a really poor run of form at the moment which has seen them go four matches now without a win (three straight defeats to Roda 1-4, Feyenoord away 1-5 and losing 1-4 to one of the weaker sides in the league, Heracles last weekend).

As a result, Groningen have dropped to fifth place and the signs are not good for a recovery any time soon. Their team confidence is at an all-time low, with key players like Granqvist and Matavz not performing as expected.

Groningen have managed just one away win in their last six on the road which was a 4-1 win at Heerenveen, but their overall away record leaves a lot to be desired for a top 5 club; 3-4-5 22/25.

Groningen also have top scorer Matavz (15 goals) and Garcia (2 goals) out injured for this fixture.

The Betting Verdict :

Whilst Utrecht are not winning at the moment, they appear to the more solid of the two sides at the moment, with Groningen suffering recent heavy defeats and with Matavz out injured, I'm backing the home side here to win this one.

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Main Pick : Take FC Utrecht to win @ 1.73 with Bet365