ADO coach Peter reacts to training leak ahead of Groningen match

The doors are closing at ADO – literally.

Head coach Peter has pulled the plug on open training sessions after team information from his preparations was leaked online almost in real time, leaving him furious on the eve of the club’s long-awaited Eredivisie home return.

Speaking to Dutch outlet Algemeen Dagblad, Peter did not hide his irritation at seeing his plans exposed.

"I don't know who it was, but in any case someone, or a few people, posted information online immediately," he said. "That makes keeping training sessions open completely pointless for us."

The leak forced his hand. Romance about accessibility gave way to cold competitive reality.

"I have no idea if this happened last year as well, but this time I knew it was posted online straight away," he explained. "We want everyone to be able to come and watch training, but that information has to stay inside the complex. That didn't happen, so we have to close the doors."

So the gates are shut, the blinds drawn, and the focus now is on what happens when they finally open again on Sunday afternoon – for matchday two of the 2026-27 Eredivisie season and ADO’s first league home game in five years.

First home step after bruising return

The setting could hardly be better: a sold-out crowd, a fanbase starved of top-flight football, and FC Groningen in town. The backdrop, though, is harsh. ADO are still hunting their first points after a 2-0 defeat at AZ on the opening weekend, when second-half goals from Ro-Zangelo Daal and Calvin Stengs underlined the gap they must close.

Peter, though, is not expecting a cagey occasion.

"I don't expect any surprises and I'm hoping for an open game played at high intensity by both teams," he said, leaning into the idea that his side will have to trade punches with an opponent already brimming with confidence.

Groningen arrive with momentum after edging past FC Utrecht in their curtain-raiser, a result that immediately pushed them into the early-season “in-form” bracket. For a newly returned ADO side still feeling the pace of the division, this is a stern test of resilience as much as quality.

Selection problems and small boosts

The team sheet offers its own complications. Jalen Hawkins remains sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Cameron Peupion is a long-term absentee following knee surgery. Two attacking options gone, and gone for a while.

There is at least some light in goal. Niclas Thiede has returned to full training after his ankle injury and is back in the frame, an important boost for a side that conceded twice after the break in Alkmaar.

Peter may also be able to turn to fresh legs from the bench. Cagliari loanee Othniel Raterink is still building match fitness but could feature among the substitutes, a potential new weapon if the game opens up in the second half.

So the picture is clear. The training ground is now a locked box, the tactical secrets kept firmly inside. The stadium, by contrast, will be bursting at the seams as ADO chase their first Eredivisie points of the campaign against a Groningen side already up to speed.

The question is whether the noise of a sold-out homecoming can tilt a high-intensity contest in Peter’s favour, or whether Groningen’s early rhythm will drown it out.