VfL Wolfsburg is unbeaten in six league games. With a win against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday evening, Lower Saxony could jump into the top half of the Bundesliga table.
The latest results from VfL Wolfsburg should put coach Niko Kovac in a good mood. The Lower Saxony recently scored seven goals against VfL Bochum and at Mainz 05 and did not concede a single one.
Nevertheless, Kovac warns of the game against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday (6.30 p.m. / in the NDR Livecenter). The team must be concentrated from the first minute. “That’s what we didn’t do well against Mainz. We had luck on our side. We have to make the right decisions with the ball,” said the 51-year-old.
The upward trend gives his team hope against the runner-up. “Of course, a very strong team is coming, but for us it’s a new challenge. We’re playing at home and we’ll do everything we can to survive,” said Kovac. VfL Wolfsburg has only lost one game at home this season.
Against the feared opponent
The record against BVB reads quite differently from VfL’s point of view: 50 games and only nine wins (ten draws, 31 defeats). The most recent meeting should have remained in particularly painful memory for many Wolfsburg residents. Last April, the “Wolves” lost 6-1 at BVB. The last win against Dortmund was more than seven years ago.
“You don’t have to mention the things from the past. It’s a new game, a game starting from scratch.”
— VfL coach Niko Kovac
Kovac left open the extent to which he changed his starting line-up compared to the appearance in Mainz. “I have a feeling that one or the other player is tired. We’ll have a look at that after the final training session,” said the VfL coach.
Baku is still hoping for a World Cup ticket
The performance of full-back Ridle Baku will definitely be decisive for the game against the current fourth in the table. The 24-year-old confirmed his good form with goals against Bochum and in Mainz.
Now he is hoping for a nomination for the World Cup, which national coach Hansi Flick will make next Thursday. “I’m in a better mood now. I don’t know if you’ll register that,” said the ex-Mainzer. Baku has played four games for the national team so far. In 2021 he became European champion with the U21. In addition to Baku, Lukas Nmecha and Maximilian Arnold are also hoping for a World Cup nomination.
Possible lineups:
VfL Wolfsburg: Casteels – Baku, Bornauw, van de Ven, Paulo Otavio – Arnold – F. Nmecha, Gerhardt – Wimmer, Kaminski – Marmoush
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel – Süle, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro – Özcan, Bellingham – Adeyemi, Brandt, Reyna – Moukoko
This topic in the program:
The NDR 2 Bundesliga show | 11/08/2022 | 6:30 p.m
