Groningen's lineup uncertainty makes the result market awkward, but the home side still carries enough continuity from last season to be favoured. Groningen finished mid-table last campaign and will treat this friendly as a chance to run attacking combinations; that tendency to rotate defenders invites risk at the back and raises the probability that the hosts will concede at least once even while they create chances of their own. The balance of selection risk versus home continuity supports a cautious lean towards FC Groningen in match-winner markets while respecting the possibility of a draw if rotations dominate.
The goals angle is stronger. Pre-season context and one prominent preview (matchmoney) both point to an open game and explicitly back Over 2.5 Goals, and the description that "both teams are expected to score" fits the profile of two sides working on forward patterns rather than defensive detail. Friendlies between teams at different stages of preparation routinely produce more clear-cut chances, and the combination of Groningen experimenting in attack and NPS Volos searching for identity points to a match where the total will clear 2.5 with routine regularity.
Alternative lines such as both-teams-to-score and specific correct-score plays are natural complements. The same factors that support Over 2.5 also favour BTTS: each side is likely to leave gaps when pushing forward and neither has a reason to sit deep in a friendly. A high-scoring correct-score like 3-2 fits the expected rhythm: open midfield, attacking rotations, and late fatigue that widens spaces. The main counter-argument across markets is selection clarity: if Groningen field a near-first XI and suppress rotations, the match tightens and goal expectation falls. Expect the match to open up through the second half as fitness and combinations take priority over defensive rigidity.
