Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Bundesliga clash between Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Wolfsburg will be looking to end their horrendous run of results at home when they welcome a red-hot Bayer Leverkusen side to the Volkswagen Arena.
The Wolves have not tasted a victory on home soil since January, while Die Werkself could go as high as second in the Bundesliga table with a victory this Saturday afternoon.
Match preview
Wolfsburg have made some serious changes at the club during the international break, parting ways with manager Paul Simonis and sporting director Sebastian Schindzielorz.
These changes did not come as a shock, considering the Wolves have picked up one win from their last 10 matches – a run which leaves them one point above the bottom three.
One of the biggest concerns for the club is their woeful form at the Volkswagen Arena, picking up their last home win all the way back in January.
Wolfsburg have lost seven of their last eight matches across all competitions, including a cup defeat to Holsten Kiel – a mid-table second tier side.
Daniel Bauer, who has been leading the Wolfsburg Under-19s, has been appointed as interim coach of the first team and will be looking to have an instant impact this weekend.
While Wolfsburg are in the midst of a downward spiral, Bayer Leverkusen appear to be growing in confidence under manager Kasper Hjulmand.
The Dane replaced Erik ten Hag during the summer, and despite a couple of hiccups – including a 7-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain – things have been going well for the recent German champions.
Leverkusen enjoyed a particularly good week just before the international break, picking up a 1-0 victory over Benfica in the Champions League before thrashing Heidenheim 6-0.
Depending on other results, Leverkusen could go as high as second with victory this weekend – something that would accentuate their upward trajectory.
Wolfsburg Bundesliga form:
Wolfsburg form (all competitions):
Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga form:
Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):
Team News
Wolfsburg will be without centre-back Moritz Jenz for a few weeks after the 26-year-old picked up a muscle injury just before the international break.
He will join a long injury list which includes Kevin Paredes (foot), Rogerio (muscular), Joakim Maehle (shoulder) and Adam Daghim (back).
On the bright side, Denis Vavro has returned to full training and could make his comeback this Saturday.
Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, remain without midfielder Exequiel Palacios, who is still struggling with a groin problem.
Ezequiel Fernandez is also on the sidelines with a knee injury, while defender Lucas Vazquez is battling with a muscle issue.
Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:
Grabara; Kumbedi, Vavro, Koulierakis, Zehnter; Arnold, Vinicius; Skov Olsen, Eriksen, Svanberg; Wind
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Quansah, Bade, Tapsoba; Arthur, Maza, Garcia, Belocian; Hofmann, Poku; Schick
We say: Wolfsburg 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Wolfsburg have made a series of changes over the international break, but it may take a while for these to have an impact.
Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, are absolutely flying, and we are backing them to continue their fine form with a win on the road.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
No Data Analysis info
Previews by email
Click here to get Sports Mole‘s daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!
