As of: January 5, 2026 1:49 p.m
VfL Wolfsburg wants to gain momentum in the Bundesliga after their mixed performances so far. But the opening program has it all. This is also why captain Maximilian Arnold demands the same intensity from the team in the training camp in Portugal as he did before Christmas.
The play of colors was magnificent. The sun cast a warm light on Arnold’s face, the lawn in the background shone lush green and a sky couldn’t be much bluer than at this moment.
While Lower Saxony, like the rest of northern Germany, is currently in the white and gray snow chaos – among other things, the German handball players had problems traveling to their European Championship preparations in Hanover – the Wolfsburg footballers are preparing for the remaining 19 Bundesliga games in the Portuguese capital Lisbon in the best conditions.
“I hope that we go through this so strengthened and so consolidated that we can get as many points as possible as quickly as possible.”
VfL captain Maximilian Arnold
Captain Arnold only paid limited attention to the atmosphere in the Cidade do Futebol – the city of football, where, among other things, the Portuguese national team trains. In an interview with NDR, his focus was primarily on “laying the foundation for the remaining games” in the days in Lisbon. The 31-year-old said he hoped “that we will go through this so strengthened and so consolidated that we can score as many points as possible as quickly as possible.”
Wolfsburg against Bayern, St. Pauli and Heidenheim
There’s no question that the ambitious but currently relegation-threatened Wolfsburg have some catching up to do in this regard. 15 points from 15 games is a far cry from our own expectations – and the club’s actual goal of wanting to play in Europe.
At least there was a positive development under Daniel Bauer, who was promoted from interim to head coach shortly before Christmas, despite the 3-4 home defeat against Freiburg at the end of the year. But the first three games of 2026 are tough: On Sunday we go to league leader FC Bayern (5:30 p.m., in the NDR Livecenter), followed by the important home games against FC St. Pauli (January 14th, 6:30 p.m.) and 1. FC Heidenheim (January 17th, 3:30 p.m.) – competitors in the bottom of the table.
Arnold: “There’s a lot of intensity in it”
The goal especially for the duels with St. Pauli and Heidenheim is victories, said Arnold. This is also why the captain of the “Wolves” wants his team to show the same commitment as before the short winter break. If that succeeds, “I am convinced that we will win.”
Especially since the first impressions of the training sessions in Lisbon give him hope: “There’s a lot of intensity in it.” VfL had been missing this for large parts of the season so far, but will need it especially in basement duels in order not to get into a negative run again. “I don’t want to have anything to do with people down there,” emphasizes the 31-year-old, who has experience in the relegation battle with Lower Saxony.
VfL captain praises new head coach Bauer
Arnold puts a lot of trust in his new boss on this issue: Bauer brings “a lot of passion and energy.” You’ve seen that in the previous encounters under his leadership – “and it’s important for us as a team that we have someone who can ignite this fire.”
An initial assessment of how well the team will perform in the first games of the new year will be available in a week and a half.
