In Wolfsburg, it is important for VfB to carry over the euphoria from the home win against Dortmund while staying focused on the next task.
After a somewhat bumpy start to the season, things seem to be going as well for VfB as they did last season: a hard-fought victory in Gladbach, a good performance in Madrid, and a triumphant home win over Dortmund. Despite all the optimism, this wasn’t something anyone could have truly counted on. At the same time, the team needs to continuously refocus this season as well. The positive run still seems too short for the team to afford taking a break, so by all reasonable measures, there’s nothing stopping us from getting knocked down in Wolfsburg. At the same time, the hosts aren’t performing as poorly as their record suggests, having lost only narrowly to Munich and Leverkusen. And, of course, playing away in Wolfsburg is always tricky because some Yannick Gerhardt or Maxi Arnold will inevitably score a scrappy goal and kickstart the Rama Lama Ding Dong. But if we keep scoring early like we have in recent games, I’m optimistic about the next match. Besides, the pace is so high at the moment — at least 18 more games are scheduled until Christmas — that there’s hardly any time to either celebrate or lament the last result. The new rhythm could tire the team over the next few weeks — or, as I find more likely, get them into a flow.
Let’s talk about the
Personnel situation
And the bitterest news right up front: Daxo Zagadou has suffered another ligament injury in his knee and is out again shortly after his comeback. Leo Stergiou and Justin Diehl are still recovering from their injuries. Niko Nartey and Ameen Al-Dakhil are available again, though the latter is sidelined with a cold.
So what should we do with a
Possible Starting Lineup?
Against a Wolfsburg side strong in pressing, I would go with the tried-and-tested back four, but considering fitness management, I’d bring in Führich and (initially) put Demirović on the bench.
Statistics
VfB won both matches against Wolfsburg last season — something that hasn’t happened since 2005/2006. In head-to-head comparisons, VfB slightly leads. Wolfsburg stands out in the stats for having the second-most duels won, but also for receiving the most yellow cards. Wolfsburg allows the third-most shots on their goal, but their goalkeeper Kamil Grabara has conceded 1.8 fewer goals than expected based on post-shot expected goals, saving his team quite a bit. Offensively, only one out of every four shots they take is on target, but almost every second one of those goes in. Wolfsburg has the least possession in the league, so VfB can expect to have the ball a lot, but will also have to be prepared for intense pressing. Defenders Cedric Zesiger and Kilian Fischer rank highly in successful tackles.
Conclusion
It’s going to be a tough game in Wolfsburg, a change of pace after the last two big games at the Bernabéu and the sold-out Neckarstadion. Similar to Freiburg, the team needs to be careful not to get caught off guard or to become complacent after the win against Dortmund. I may be repeating myself and I’ve been wrong on this before, but right now, I don’t expect any drop in intensity from VfB.
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