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Wolfsburg
Bundesliga | Gameweek 23
Feb 19, 2022 at 2.30pm UK
 
Hoffenheim logo

Wolfsburg
1 - 2
Hoffenheim

Wind (36')
Philipp (11')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Bruun Larsen (73'), Kramaric (78')
Bruun Larsen (87'), Raum (90+2')

Preview: Wolfsburg vs. Hoffenheim - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Bundesliga clash between Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Wolfsburg will be looking to make it three wins in a row when they welcome fellow European hopefuls Hoffenheim to the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday.

The hosts have quickly turned results around after a dreadful run of form, whilst the visitors have returned to winning ways themselves following their 2-0 triumph last weekend.


Match preview

Wolfsburg's Lukas Nmecha celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on September 11, 2021© Reuters

Just a two-week period has drastically changed the outlook at Wolfsburg, with Saturday's hosts ending an 11-game winless streak - nine of which were defeats - to record back-to-back victories in the Bundesliga.

Florian Kohfeldt's slump in form left last season's fourth-placed side in danger of a catastrophic relegation out of the top flight, but the two wins have lifted Die Wolfe into 12th place ahead of matchday 23.

That rise in the table has pulled Wolfsburg five points clear of the relegation zone as things stand, and to within seven points of the European places all of a sudden.

Although the first of their two victories came expectedly - in a 4-1 success over bottom-of-the-table Greuther Furth on home soil - last weekend's win was far more impressive.

Kohfeldt's men won at another European hopeful in the form of Eintracht Frankfurt last Saturday, with Max Kruse netting his first goal since returning to the club in January, and Dodi Lukebakio sealing the points in second-half stoppage time.

Wolfsburg remained quiet in terms of creativity and clear goalscoring opportunities, but the most impressive aspect of their performance was their ability to restrict their hosts to very little in front of goal themselves, with John Brooks especially putting in an excellent display in a solid back line.

A similar kind of performance could be required on Saturday for the home side to take all three points once more, which could lift them to within four points of the top six during their resurgence.

Hoffenheim's Benjamin Hubner and teammates after the match on January 19, 2022© Reuters

Meanwhile, visitors Hoffenheim ended a recent poor run of form themselves when they won 2-0 at home to an in-form Arminia Bielefeld last Sunday.

Die Kraichgauer had lost four straight fixtures since winning their opening game of 2022 against Augsburg, with three of the defeats arriving in the Bundesliga.

Benjamin Hubner and Georginio Rutter netted the goals to end that poor run, as Sebastian Hoeness's side returned to their best for the first time since the fantastic run of form that had catapulted them into the top four before Christmas.

Like their hosts at the weekend though, Hoffenheim's defensive success was perhaps the most pleasing aspect of their display from Hoeness' point of view, with his team recording their first clean sheet in 11 matches in the process.

Although, this would not have been too surprising given the calibre of their opponent, but the victory was deserved nonetheless, and was one that lifted them into fifth place in the table.

As a result, Saturday's visitors head into their clash at the Volkswagen Arena level on points with RB Leipzig in the final Champions League spot, and with Die Roten Bullen not in action until Sunday, it gives Hoffenheim the chance to reclaim their spot in the top four.

Wolfsburg Bundesliga form:
  • L
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • W

Hoffenheim Bundesliga form:
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • W

Hoffenheim form (all competitions):
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • W



Team News

Wolfsburg coach Florian Kohfeldt reacts on January 23, 2022© Reuters

With no fresh injury concerns, Kohfeldt could opt to name the same starting 11 that won in Frankfurt last week, although Lukebakio replacing Maximilian Philipp is a possibility following his goal from the bench.

Kruse and fellow January arrival Jonas Wind have made a big difference in the last two games for Wolfsburg, and they will make up the remainder of their forward line.

William, Xaver Schlager and Paulo Otavio remain unavailable for the long term, whilst Lukas Nmecha is still a couple of weeks away from returning from his broken ankle.

Young defender Micky van de Ven joins them on the list of absentees, with him being ruled out for another couple of weeks with a hamstring injury.

As for the visitors, their win over Bielefeld came at a cost, with Florian Grillitsch and Dennis Geiger each picking up their fifth yellow cards of the season, which rules them out of Saturday's trip through suspension.

The influential Andrej Kramaric should return from COVID-19 though, and he should slot back into the starting lineup immediately.

Ermin Bicakcic and Robert Skov are ruled through injury, whilst Chris Richards and Angelo Stiller are doubts due to a foot problem and illness respectively.

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:
Casteels; Lacroix, Bornauw, Brooks; Baku, Arnold, Vranckx, Roussillon; Kruse, Philipp; Wind

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Posch, Vogt, Hubner; Bebou, Samassekou, Baumgartner, Raum; Kramaric; Rutter, Dabbur


SM words green background

We say: Wolfsburg 1-1 Hoffenheim

There is very little to choose between these two sides as we head into Saturday's clash, with both recently ending their poor runs of form and both possessing similar qualities on their day.

As a result, we are predicting for the two teams to cancel each other out and finish level at the Volkswagen Arena.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 2.5:data



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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Hoffenheim win with a probability of 38.31%. A win for Wolfsburg had a probability of 37.33% and a draw had a probability of 24.4%.

The most likely scoreline for a Hoffenheim win was 1-2 with a probability of 8.46%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (7.6%) and 0-2 (5.71%). The likeliest Wolfsburg win was 2-1 (8.34%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.25%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with an 8.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-2 win for Hoffenheim in this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Wolfsburg vs Hoffenheim

Wolfsburg
57.5%
Draw
37.5%
Hoffenheim
5.0%
40
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Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Romania Romania21013
2 Belgium Belgium21013
3 Slovakia Slovakia21013
4 Ukraine Ukraine21013

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal22006
2 Turkey Turkey21013
3 Czech Republic Czech Republic20111
4 Georgia Georgia20111


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