Will the Wolves shoot themselves out of the crisis?
Is the effect of new coach Florian Kohfeldt already fizzling out? After the early parting of ways with Mark van Bommel, the former SV Werder coach seemed to be just the right man to get the Wolves back on track. But ahead of Saturday’s match against VfB Stuttgart, it’s safe to disagree again.
The Wolves are in a serious crisis. They have fallen back to eighth place in the table and were eliminated from the Champions League in the preliminary round. If things go on like this, the team from Lower Saxony might consider a second change of coach before Christmas, because it is clear that the management is not amused at the moment.
At the Swabians, there are apparently no such thoughts. Yet VfB Stuttgart must be seen as a relegation candidate this season. At the moment, they are only in 15th place, with only one point separating them from the relegation zone. It doesn’t sound like you should be predicting a winner in Wolfsburg’s clash against VfB Stuttgart.
The Wolves are in a crisis in their entire mix, the Swabians don’t get much done away from home. What do you do with a game like this? The bookmakers have the Lower Saxons as favourites and perhaps it is actually a slightly better choice to place a bet on a home win in the Wolfsburg vs. VfB Stuttgart clash.
Wolfsburg – Statistics & current form
VfL Wolfsburg had so much planned for this season. In the Champions League they wanted to present themselves well and in the Bundesliga they wanted to attack the places 1-4 again. Apparently, Mark van Bommel was not the right man for these goals and Florian Kohfeldt has now also come down to earth after an outstanding start.
Wolves’ losing streak
The Wolves have now waited five games for a win and most recently there have even been four defeats in a row. In a quite feasible group in the top division, they have finished last. Even if the coach sees it differently, the VfL is in a valley and therefore we are a little surprised that in the duel Wolfsburg against VfB Stuttgart relatively low odds are offered on a home win.
On Wednesday, Wolfsburg were supposed to turn the tables in the Champions League with a home win against OSC Lille. However, the Wolves again failed to put their stamp on the game. After 78 minutes, the score was 0:3 and VfL saw all their dreams dashed. Renato Steffen scored in the final minutes to make it 1:3.
The Wolves’ crisis may be linked to the absence of Xaver Schlager, who was extremely present in midfield. After tearing his cruciate ligament, however, the Austrian will be missing even more. In addition, Bartosz Bialek, Admir Mehmedi, Marvin Stefaniak and William are other players in the hospital. Lukas Nmecha, on the other hand, will return to the team after serving a yellow ban in the premier league.
Predicted Wolfsburg line-up:
Casteels – Lacroix, Guilavogui, Bornauw – Mbabu, Arnold, Vranckx, Paulo Otavio – Waldschmidt, L. Nmecha – Weghorst – Coach: Kohfeldt
Last matches played by Wolfsburg:
Champions League Grp. G
12/08 2021 – Vfl Wolfsburg 1 – 3 Lille
1st Bundesliga
12/04 2021 – Mainz 05 3 – 0 Vfl Wolfsburg
11/27 2021 – Vfl Wolfsburg 1 – 3 Borussia Dortmund
Champions League Grp. G
11/23 2021 – Sevilla 2 – 0 Vfl Wolfsburg
1st Bundesliga
11/20 2021 – Arminia Bielefeld 2 – 2 Vfl Wolfsburg
VfB Stuttgart – Statistics & current form
Perhaps the Swabians are relying a little too much on their youth style this season. A little more experience would do the team good in many situations. Gonzalo Castro’s contract was not extended and Daniel Didavi hardly plays a role at all. VfB play fresh football, but sometimes it would be better to have an old hand in the team.
Away not much goes
Not much goes together, especially away from home. Stuttgart have yet to record a single away win this season. In total, there has only been one win in the last seven Bundesliga games. The Swabians are also in a crisis, which is why we would not predict a win for the visitors in the match between Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart.
Last weekend, VfB came close to a second home win in a row when they hosted struggling Hertha from Berlin. Omar Marmoush and Philipp Förster gave them a 2-0 lead after just 20 minutes. In the end, the score was 2:2 because the Swabians screwed up the victory themselves through individual mistakes.
It is expected that VfB will be a little more defensive away from home on Saturday. It is possible that Pellegrino Matarazzo will only play with one striker. Fabian Bredlow, Chris Führich, Sasa Kalajdzic, Enzo Millot, Mohamed Sankoh and Erik Thommy will be absent due to injury or illness. Silas and Roberto Massimo’s fitness for action is a question mark.
Predicted line-up of VfB Stuttgart:
Müller – Mavropanos, Anton, Ito – Karazor, Sosa – Massimo, Endo, Mangala – Förster, Marmoush – Coach: Matarazzo
Last matches played by VfB Stuttgart:
1st Bundesliga
12/05 2021 – VfB Stuttgart 2 – 2 Hertha Berlin
11/26 2021 – VfB Stuttgart 2 – 1 Mainz 05
11/20 2021 – Borussia Dortmund 2 – 1 VfB Stuttgart
Club friendlies
11/10 2021 – VfB Stuttgart 1 – 0 FC Zurich
1st Bundesliga
11/06 2021 – VfB Stuttgart 0 – 1 Arminia Bielefeld
Wolfsburg – VfB Stuttgart Direct comparison / H2H-Balance
The direct comparison between VfL Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart favours the Swabians. VfB are 23:20 ahead after victories. Seven of the 50 encounters ended in a draw. The problem for Stuttgart, however, is that they hardly reap anything at the Volkswagen Arena. VfB has been waiting for an away win in Wolfsburg for 16 years.
In that time, the Wolves are unbeaten in 13 home games, picking up eleven wins and two draws. Last season, there were two Wölfe victories. At home, VfL first won 1:0. The return match in Stuttgart was won 3:1 by the Lower Saxons after goals from Xaver Schlager, Wout Weghorst and Yannick Gerhardt. Gonzalo Castro only managed the consolation goal. Philipp Förster also missed a penalty.
Wolfsburg – VfB Stuttgart Tip
The big problem for the Swabians is their weakness away from home, both at the moment and when playing at the Volkswagen Arena. VfB have yet to win an away game this season and have also waited 16 years for a win in Wolfsburg. With these statistics, a three-point win on Saturday would almost be a miracle.
But if the Swabians want to end this streak, it would be best to do it now. The Wolves are struggling and have lost four games in a row. However, Florian Kohfeldt will also think that VfB should be the predestined opponent to get back on track. We are more inclined to place a tip on a home win in the Wolfsburg vs. VfB Stuttgart match.
We think it is conceivable that both teams will score, but then we have decided to play the betting odds on a home win between Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart.
