43.
8:14 p.m
Tah has moved up wide and has space, which is why he simply shoots from a good 28 meters. However, the flat right-footed shot clearly misses to the left.
40.
8:10 p.m
Almost 2-0. After a short corner from the right, Álex Grimaldo finds the similarly free Piero Hincapié in the center, whose header from four meters is cleared by Koen Casteels with an extremely strong reflex for a corner, which then achieves nothing further.
37.
8:07 p.m
Great for Bayer Leverkusen, 1-0 by Nathan Tella
Things can suddenly happen so quickly. The leader scores 1-0. Álex Grimaldo receives the ball at the level of the left corner of the penalty area, pushes his way to the baseline with a lot of physicality and then chips the ball into the path of the completely free Nathan Tella, who can climb up unhindered and push the ball over the line from very close range .
35.
8:05 p.m
Wolfsburg is now completely closing down at the back. However, Lower Saxony doesn’t really have any other choice than trying to somehow secure a 0-0 scoreline when they’re outnumbered. Leverkusen continue to play patiently, are in no hurry and don’t hit the wall with their heads.
32.
8:03 p.m
Niko Kovač has to react to being outnumbered and takes Jonas Wind off the field, who trots off the field completely frustrated. Sebastiaan Bornauw moves into the defense for the attacker.
32.
20:02
Substitution at VfL Wolfsburg: Sebastiaan Bornauw
32.
20:02
Substitution at VfL Wolfsburg: Jonas Wind
31.
8:01 p.m
Palacios takes a corner against Arnold, where Grimaldo tries to find Tah at the second post. However, the cross is far too long and ends up on the other side of the goal. Wolfsburg goal kick.
28.
19:57
Yellow-red card for Moritz Jenz (VfL Wolfsburg)
Jenz had already seen his first yellow card 16 minutes ago and is now completely unnecessarily tripping up Schick, who is starting from the center towards the corner flag. The referee has little room for maneuver here and shows the wrongdoer the traffic light card. Now it’s going to be a really big challenge that Lower Saxony has to drill in the BayArena.
27.
19:57
Wolfsburg is becoming braver! Arnold sends Baku over the right, who shoots from eight meters to the far corner. The ball is deflected by Tah for a corner, but Majer cannot find a team-mate. Tah clarifies.
26.
19:56
Arnold takes the corner kick shortly. However, with the subsequent cross towards the first post, nothing else in the Bayer penalty area burned. The Black and Reds resolve resolutely with their heads.
25.
7:55 p.m
After Tapsoba’s header was defended, Zesiger simply saved from 20 meters. The left-footed shot hits the Leverkusen goal really well, but Hrádecký is there and directs the shot over the crossbar.
22.
19:53
Post for Leverkusen! Now the Black and Reds find the gap for the first time and almost reward themselves with the goal to make it 1-0. After a strong chip, Wirtz tries the short corner from six meters. However, Casteels is still decisive and directs the shot to the left post.
20.
19:51
Although VfL hardly ever appear in the opponent’s third, they have done a very good job defensively so far. The Wolves defend in a highly disciplined manner and do not offer the Rhinelanders any space.
17.
7:47 p.m
The home team has not yet been able to combine into the opponent’s penalty area. So Josip Stanišić just tries it out from the second row. But his powerful right-footed shot from 18 meters comes too centrally to Koen Casteels, who doesn’t miss a beat and grabs it safely.
15.
19:46
The Lower Saxony team are still extremely deep and are very effective in keeping the Werkself out of their own penalty area. It’s becoming a game of patience for the front runner.
12.
19:43
Yellow card for Moritz Jenz (VfL Wolfsburg)
In the direct counterattack, Jenz has to draw the tactical foul in order to prevent the Werkself from counterattacking. This also earns him an early yellow card.
12.
19:42
VfL is getting closer. Tiago Tomás moves forward on the left and serves Lovro Majer, who enters the penalty area. The Croatian could try it straight away, but passes to Jonas Wind, who can’t hold onto the ball with his back to the goal. There was more in it!
10.
19:41
After a serious bad pass in the build-up game, the Leverkusen counterattack rolls over Patrik Schick, who, however, is held up long enough by Lovro Majer’s clever positioning until his teammates are behind the ball again.
7.
7:36 p.m
Yellow card for Yannick Gerhardt (VfL Wolfsburg)
Wirtz wants to pass the ball past Gerhardt in the center, but Gerhardt runs out and hits the Black and Reds’ creative player on the ankle. This earns him the first yellow card of the game.
4.
19:34
Wolfsburg plays defensively with a five-man chain and wants to nip the Werkself’s brilliant offensive in the bud. At least in the first few minutes it works quite well. The Black and Reds still couldn’t find a gap in the first switch situation of the game.
1.
7:30 p.m
Kick-off in the BayArena. The home team will be wearing the classic black and red. The guests from Lower Saxony are dressed in neon green. Let’s go.
1.
7:30 p.m
Game start
7:01 p.m
Nevertheless, the balance speaks for the current leader in the Bundesliga. Leverkusen won 25 of the 56 competitive games against VfL Wolfsburg (ten draws, 21 defeats) and also won the first leg 2-1 in Lower Saxony. The Werkself are currently unbeaten in four competitive games against Wolves (two wins, two draws).
18:53
What is curious, however, is the fact that the duel between Leverkusen and Wolfsburg has always been in the hands of the away team for some time. In none of the last 15 Bundesliga games that have taken place between the two teams has the home team won in the end. In the entire history of the Bundesliga, there has only been a longer streak without a home win between Cologne and Stuttgart (19 games between 2001 and 2016).
18:43
Only Darmstadt has so far scored fewer points in the 2024 calendar year (only three) than the Wolves (six), who, along with Hoffenheim, are the only team that has not been able to keep a single clean sheet since the turn of the year. Leverkusen, on the other hand, have already kept a clean sheet five times in the Bundesliga in 2024 and have only conceded four goals in total. Both are league-wide best values. Accordingly, the role of favorite is clearly assigned.
6:36 p.m
Meanwhile, VfL Wolfsburg’s recent dry spell continued last weekend. In the 2-3 home defeat against Stuttgart, the Lower Saxony team remained winless in the ninth league game in a row (six draws, three defeats), whereupon Niko Kovač made three changes: for Kevin Behrens (bench), Joakim Mæhle (yellow suspension) and Vaclav Černý ( Cédric Zesiger, Jonas Wind and Tiago Tomás start.
6:31 p.m
Let’s start off by taking a look at the lineups that were just released. The Black and Reds drew 2-2 at Qarabag Agdam in the Europa League on Thursday evening and thus extended their unbeaten streak. Xabi Alonso still has to keep an eye on load control and is rotating in six positions today: Hrádecký takes over for Kovář between the posts. Xhaka, Wirtz, Schick, Hincapié and Stanišić also play today for Kossounou, Iglesias, Andrich, Hložek and Adli (all bench).
18:27
The 25th matchday will be decided by the game between what is possibly the first German champion in 15 years, which is not called Bayern and Dortmund, and the team that was the last German champion to date, when the 2009 title holders Wolfsburg play Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the BayArena is a guest. The Werkself still have a comfortable seven points lead over Bayern after Munich’s massive win against Mainz yesterday, but would like to restore the old ten-point gap with a home win this evening.
Hello and welcome to the game Bayer Leverkusen – VfL Wolfsburg! The live ticker for the game on matchday 25 of the Bundesliga starts just in time before the game starts.