The Wolves are in crisis
Every year there are teams that know how to surprise in the Bundesliga. You can be happy about positive surprises, but there is also the other side of the coin and this is currently being experienced by VfL Wolfsburg. The Lower Saxons are probably the club that has fallen furthest short of general expectations and their own ambitions this season.
The Wolves are in a tangible crisis and have been for the entire season. Participation in the group stage of the Champions League may have turned the team’s head. They are currently only 14th in the Bundesliga table, with only two points between them and the relegation zone.
With a defeat at home to Hertha on Saturday, they could even slip below the bottom of the table. However, the Berliners are not particularly dangerous either and are just 13th in the standings. The old lady has just one point more than the Wolves.
It’s a mixture of everything that’s wrong with both teams. Both teams concede too many goals, especially from standards. In return, too few goals are scored to compensate for this weakness. On balance, however, this could still mean that betting on excess goals between Wolfsburg and Hertha is appropriate.
Wolfsburg – Statistics & current form
When you are in a crisis, superstition always comes to the fore in football. On Saturday, Wolfsburg will put their faith in John Anthony Brooks. In 2017, the Berlin-born defender moved from Hertha to the Wolves and has not lost a single game against his former club since then. Perhaps the centre-back will be the Wolves’ saviour on Saturday.
Lost the ability to win
Whoever fills that role, though, someone is desperately needed to start the turnaround. Wolfsburg have lost six matches in a row in the Bundesliga. In total, there have even been eight defeats in a row.
The Wolves also lost their second-round opener last weekend. Florian Kohfeldt’s team suffered a 1-0 defeat at VfL Bochum. According to reports, the coach is not up for discussion, but we assume that the Wolves can’t afford many more defeats without the coach being hounded out of the yard.
Compared to the previous week, the situation for the Lower Saxons has eased somewhat. Dodi Lukebakio and Aster Vranckx have left the isolation and should at least be in the squad. However, with Admir Mehmedi, Lukas Nmecha, Paulo Otavio, Xaver Schlager and William, some important players will still be out.
Predicted Wolfsburg line-up:
Casteels – Lacroix, Bornauw, Brooks – Baku, Arnold, Gerhardt, Roussillon – Steffen, Waldschmidt – Weghorst – Coach: Kohfeldt
Last matches played by Wolfsburg:
1st Bundesliga
01/09 2022 – Vfl Bochum 1 – 0 Vfl Wolfsburg
Friendly club matches
01/04 2022 – Vfl Wolfsburg 5 – 4 Paderborn
1st Bundesliga
12/17 2021 – Bayern Munich 4 – 0 Vfl Wolfsburg
12/14 2021 – Vfl Wolfsburg 2 – 3 1. FC Köln
12/11 2021 – Vfl Wolfsburg 0 – 2 VfB Stuttgart
Hertha – Statistics & current form
Tayfun Korkut has a contract at Hertha until the end of the season. The whistle is already blowing that Bobic intimate Niko Kovac will take over the old lady in the coming season. Until then, Hertha’s season seems to be just a matter of winding down. The only thing left to do is to avoid relegation by any means necessary.
Problems away from home
At least things are still going well at home, but the Herthans have major problems away from home. In the last four away games in the Bundesliga, only one point was scored. At times, the old lady presented herself as if retirement was long overdue. From there we stick to the fact that between Wolfsburg and Hertha the forecast has to go to a home win.
Last weekend, however, the Berliners took another beating at the Olympiastadion. 1. FC Köln were the guests and turned out to be a number too big for the capitals. After half an hour, the visitors were leading 2:0. After Vladimir Darida had scored the second goal, hope was raised again, but in the end, Cologne won 3:1.
The Berlin team is shorthanded at the moment. Fredrik Andre Björkan, Dedrick Boyata, Oliver Christensen and Deyovaisio Zeefuik are missing due to an infection. Kevin-Prince Boateng and Suat Serdar are serving a yellow ban. Rune Jarstein and especially Stevan Jovetic are missing due to injury. In return, Ishak Belfodil has returned from quarantine.
Predicted line-up of Hertha:
Schwolow – Pekarik, Stark, Torunarigha, Plattenhardt – Ascacibar, Darida, Richter, Mittelstädt – Selke, Maolida – Coach: Korkut
Last matches played by Hertha:
1st Bundesliga
01/09 2022 – Hertha Berlin 1 – 3 1. FC Köln
12/18 2021 – Hertha Berlin 3 – 2 Borussia Dortmund
12/14 2021 – Mainz 05 4 – 0 Hertha Berlin
12/11 2021 – Hertha Berlin 2 – 0 Arminia Bielefeld
12/05 2021 – VfB Stuttgart 2 – 2 Hertha Berlin
Wolfsburg – Hertha Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Wolfsburg and Hertha are neighbours in the eternal Bundesliga table. Admittedly, the Wolves are ahead of the Berliners, although Hertha have played significantly more games in the top flight. There have been 58 direct duels between the two clubs to date. The direct comparison, however, is in favour of the old lady with 22:20 victories.
Hertha have only won one of their last nine Bundesliga games against Wolfsburg. The first leg in Berlin was won 2-1 by the Wolves at the end of August, when everything was still completely in order at VfL. Dodi Lukebakio, who was loaned to Wolfsburg shortly afterwards, gave Hertha a 1:0 lead. Ridle Baku and Lukas Nmecha, however, turned the tables in favour of the Lower Saxons.
Wolfsburg – Hertha Tip
Naturally, it’s a crisis summit. Wolfsburg and Hertha get very little done in recent weeks, the Wolves even much less. Eight game defeats in a row is an absolute record for the Lower Saxons. However, things have to go in the other direction at some point. If not on Saturday against Hertha, then when?
The Berliners have picked up just one point from their last four away games in the Bundesliga and also blew the start of the year at home against Cologne. In addition, the old lady has won only one of the last nine games against the Wolves. Therefore, we tend to bet on a home win between Wolfsburg and Hertha
Should VfL fail to win, then the collar will be tight for Florian Kohfeldt. The puppy protection should have expired by now and therefore coach and team have to deliver on Saturday. We think that the Lower Saxons know what the hour has struck and therefore we have decided to play the betting odds between Wolfsburg and Hertha on the prediction of a VfL success.
