Fc Groningen

With the departure of coach Ron Jans after eight seasons in charge – fifth spot in 2006 being his best – the time has come for Groningen to turn the page. Many of the players who enjoyed a vital role in the last campaign, keeping the club up, have now gone. In 2009, Groningen were a solid team that simply lacked a prolific goalscorer – they had lost Marcus Berg to Hamburger – and this was the main reason the Green and Whites could not make more of an impact in the Eredivisie. Will this problem be solved by forwards Tim Matavz, Nicklas Pedersen and newcomer Dusan Tandic? The jury is out, but if new coach Pieter Huistra can find a way to hit the back of the net on a more regular basis, then Groningen have the strength to claim a spot in Europe.

Key arrivals: Dusan Tadic (FK Vojvodina); Jonas Ivens (KV Mechelen); Maikel Kieftenbeld (Go Ahead Eagles)

Key departures: Sepp De Roover (Sporting Lokeren); Gibril Sankoh (Augsburg); Goran Lovre (Barnsley)

Prediction: 8th