SV Darmstadt 98 – VfL Wolfsburg
The 15th matchday of the Bundesliga is coming up and heralds the start of the English week just before Christmas. With two games in just a few days, it’s back to the drawing board for the clubs. On Saturday afternoon, the conference is once again packed with exciting matches, including the clash between Darmstadt and VfL Wolfsburg. Find out in our Darmstadt – Wolfsburg betting tip whether Darmstadt will beat Wolfsburg or whether the Wolves have the better cards.
The Lilies have two more tough games ahead of them before the winter break. After the game against the Wolves, Darmstadt will travel to Hoffenheim on Tuesday. It would be extremely important for Darmstadt to pick up something worthwhile in both games, as every point can make the difference in the relegation battle.
Wolfsburg are still searching for consistency in order to rise above mediocrity. Last weekend, they suffered another setback with a 1-0 defeat at home to SC Freiburg. The Wolves can hardly afford to slip up against the Lilies, as they face the record champions from Munich during the week. Should VfL lose both games, the Wolves could slip into the relegation battle without realizing it
Darmstadt – Wolfsburg info
- Date & Time: 16.12.2023, 3:30 pm
- Venue: Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, Darmstadt
- Competition: Bundesliga, matchday 15
- TV broadcast: Sky
Darmstadt Form & Balance Check
Darmstadt have slipped from the relegation places to the bottom of the table following their 3:2 defeat at FC Heidenheim on the final matchday. They are fighting for survival and need every point. In recent weeks, the form curve has been clearly pointing downwards and Darmstadt have lost five of their last seven games, picking up just a measly two points.
This leaves the Lilies on just nine points, level on points with Mainz in 17th place and one point off the safety of 15th place. So everything is still possible for Darmstadt, but coach Torsten Lieberknecht urgently needs a sense of achievement. The game against Wolfsburg, who are not in particularly good form at the moment, might be just the thing
Pechvogel Müller
In last weekend’s clash with the newly-promoted side, the Lilies showed some improvement in attack compared to recent weeks. In the end, however, they came away empty-handed, which was once again due to individual defensive errors. The unlucky player in this game was Jannik Müller, who had a day to forget as he was involved in all three goals conceded by Darmstadt.
According to coach Lieberknecht, Müller was responsible for both of Heidenheim’s Patrick Mainka’s headers and was also not decisive enough in the header duel for the first goal conceded. The defender must now put this performance behind him as quickly as possible and do better against the Wolves
Darmstadt facts & analysis
- In last place in the table
- Without a win in seven competitive matches
- Goal ratio of 17:37
Wolfsburg Form & Balance Check
Wolfsburg are currently in a small negative streak. After the bitter defeat in the DFB Cup against Gladbach, when the Wolves conceded the decisive goal in the 120th minute, they also lost their last match in the league. Their record from the last six competitive matches is one win, one draw and four defeats.
The Wolves are in 11th place in the league with 14 points. This puts Wolfsburg seven points behind the international qualification places, but only six points ahead of the relegation places. A win would be very important for Niko Kovač and his team before they face Bayern on the final matchday before the Christmas break
Insurance Jonas Wind
Wolfsburg are not exactly shooting the lights out this season and have only scored 18 goals so far. This puts the team in the bottom third of the league, scoring just under 1.3 goals per game on average. Fortunately, the Wolves can rely on striker Jonas Wind.
With nine goals and three assists, the Dane is directly involved in twelve of Wolfsburg’s 18 goals. That corresponds to a goal participation rate of 67%, making Wind the league leader. Just how important he is to VfL’s success is shown by the fact that he has scored in all of the Wolves’ victories
Wolfsburg facts & analysis
- Table position eleven
- Four defeats from the last five competitive matches
- Goal ratio of 18:25
Predicted line-up – last update on December 14, 2023
Darmstadt have been plagued by injuries in recent weeks. We expect them to play a 3-5-2 formation against Wolfsburg. There are still question marks over Fabian Holland and Fabian Nürnberger. Emir Karic is otherwise available for the midfield.
Wolfsburg will also play in a 3-5-2 formation with Wind as their scorer up front. Compared to the defeat against Freiburg, coach Kovać could once again deploy Aster Vranckx in midfield for Yannik Gerhardt. Tiago Tomás could also return to the starting line-up if he is fit in time
Darmstadt – Wolfsburg head-to-head & stats
The two teams have already faced each other seven times in their club history. The overall balance is relatively even, with three wins for Wolfsburg and two victories for the Lilies. Two games ended in a draw. The last encounter was over six years ago and went 1-0 to Wolfsburg. The first meeting was a two-division match in 1992, when Darmstadt won 4:0.
- Wolfsburg narrowly lead the overall standings
- Darmstadt’s last win was in 2016
- Goal ratio of 8:7 from the Lilies’ perspective
