WOLFSBURG – BORUSSIA DORTMUND | Tuesday 6.30pm
Niko Kovac has managed to put Wolfsburg, who have made a spectacular comeback in the Bundesliga in recent days, back on track. The former Bayer Munich coach seems to have found the key to restarting a team that certainly does not lack talent. After being on the verge of being sacked – in September, the team had only won one match in the first seven days of the championship – the Croatian coach has in particular found the goals: the most important players (Nmecha, Arnold and Gerhardt) have risen to the top, and the attack has become prolific again. Since the defeat against Union Berlin a month and a half ago, Wolfsburg have not lost and in the last two rounds they have been on a rampage, scoring four goals against Bochum and three against Mainz, while keeping their goal unbroken. The relegation zone is therefore a distant memory and the feeling now is that the green-and-whites can once again have their say in qualifying for the next European competitions.
The distance to seventh place, in fact, is minimal: Werder Bremen have only four points more than Wolfsburg. Borussia Dortmund are also on a winning streak: despite being absent on Saturday, Edin Terzic’s men brought home their third consecutive success. After the goleada against Stuttgart and the comeback victory in Frankfurt, the yellow-and-whites – led by the 2004-born Moukoko, who scored a brace – overwhelmed Bochum 3-0 in the minor Revierderby. Borussia remain firmly in the Champions League zone but Bayern Munich, back on top after the Union Berlin debacle, are not unreachable.
Borussia Dortmund players’ joy after a goal
The Prediction
A match that has always belonged to Borussia Dortmund in the last seven years: Wolfsburg’s last victory was in 2015 and last year there was even room for a humiliating 6-1 victory for the green-and-whites. This time it will be a well-balanced match between two healthy teams, but the yellow-and-whites remain favourites in a match with at least three goals in total.
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund likely line-ups
- WOLFSBURG (4-3-3): Casteels; Baku, Bornauw, Van de Ven, Otavio; F. Nmecha, Arnold, Gerhardt; Wimmer, L. Nmecha, Kaminski.
- BORUSSIA DORTMUND (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Süle, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro; Özcan, Bellingham; Adeyemi, Brandt, Malen; Moukoko.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
