VfL Wolfsburg – RB Leipzig
The international break for the 2024 European Championship qualifiers in Germany is over and the ball is finally rolling again in the Bundesliga stadiums. Many players from the Bundesliga clubs have been away with their national teams, but the coaches will have used the time to prepare their teams as well as possible for the tasks ahead. The upcoming 12th matchday will show which teams are best rested and fresh from the break.
On Saturday afternoon, the Wolves from Wolfsburg will host the Bulls from Leipzig. It will be a rematch of the cup match just under four weeks ago, when Wolfsburg knocked Leipzig out of the DFB Cup with a 1-0 win. RB will therefore be keen for revenge and could collect important points for the fight for the Champions League places with an away win.
Wolfsburg have a lot to make up to their fans after their 4:0 thrashing at the hands of Borussia Gladbach on the previous matchday. Find out who will come out on top in this game and who will leave the pitch as the loser in our Wolfsburg – Leipzig betting tip
Wolfsburg – Leipzig Info
- Date & Time: 25.11.2023, 3:30 pm
- Playing venue: Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 12
- TV broadcast: Sky
Wolfsburg Form & Balance Check
VfL Wolfsburg were in a slight crisis before the international break despite advancing in the DFB Cup. The team led by coach Nico Kovac currently only occupies eleventh place in the table with a goal difference of 15:20. The team has not been able to celebrate a win for five match days and has only picked up one point. Their record in the last eight competitive matches is two wins, one draw and five defeats.
The 4:0 defeat at Gladbach on the last matchday was particularly painful. There also seems to be some internal disagreements between the coach and the team. Captain Maximilian Arnold recently said in an interview with the Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung that some players were unhappy with the coach’s frequent rotations. Kovac must now show sensitivity and get the team back on track quickly before the discussions about the coaching position get rolling
Away from home a shooting gallery
The fact that Wolfsburg have only picked up one point from their last five games is also down to the number of goals conceded. VfL are particularly vulnerable away from home, having conceded 15 of their total of 20 goals away from home. In the last three away games alone, the ball fizzed into Wolfsburg’s net ten times.
This makes them one of the league’s shooting galleries, as only three teams have conceded more goals away from home than the Wolves. At home, however, the defense is top of the league with only five goals conceded, and only Leipzig and Frankfurt have conceded one less goal in front of their own fans
Wolfsburg facts & analysis
- In eleventh place in the league
- Only one point from the last five games
- Only conceded five goals at home
Leipzig Form & Balance Check
Leipzig are currently fourth in the table and have 23 points after eleven matchdays, one place behind third-placed Stuttgart. Leipzig have grown well under the leadership of coach Marco Rose and have won five of their last seven competitive matches. Leipzig also appear to have overcome a short dry spell with successive defeats against Wolfsburg and Mainz, as they followed this up with a strong win in the top flight in Belgrade and a 3:1 home victory against Freiburg on the final matchday.
Overall, their record from the first eleven league games is impressive, with seven wins, two draws and two defeats. The only drawback is the elimination from the cup, as the current defending champions would certainly have had a good chance of winning the cup for the third time in a row after Bayern’s elimination
Werner in crisis, Openda comes up trumps
Timo Werner is currently in crisis at the Bulls. After just two goals in 13 games, rumors are swirling about a possible transfer during the winter break. Under coach Rose, Werner is currently only a substitute and is being used less and less. Whether a transfer will actually happen is questionable, however, as the striker earns around ten million euros with the Bulls and there would first have to be an interested party willing to pay a lot of money for Werner.
In the meantime, Leipzig’s new Belgian signing Loïs Openda is making a name for himself. The 23-year-old, who joined from RC Lens in the summer, is the Bulls’ absolute top scorer. He has already recorded nine goals and two assists and is currently in top form. Openda has scored six times in Leipzig’s last seven competitive matches and was also rewarded for his strong performances with appearances for the Belgian national team during the international break. From Leipzig’s point of view, it is to be hoped that Openda will be back on fire this weekend and help Leipzig to victory
Leipzig facts & analysis
- Currently in fourth place in the league
- Five wins from the last seven games
- Won the last matchday with a 3:1 win against Freiburg
Predicted line-up – last update on November 23, 2023
Wolfsburg will play a 3-4-2-1 formation with Maximilian Arnold, who has often only come off the bench recently. However, the captain faces a yellow card in the next game if he is also cautioned in this match.
We expect Leipzig to play in their 4-2-2-2 system. It will be crucial for coach Marco Rose to see how long his players, who have played for their national teams, have enough energy and how early he has to make use of his substitutions.
Wolfsburg – Leipzig head-to-head & stats
There have already been 20 matches between the two clubs in history. Wolfsburg have only won five of them, while Leipzig have won ten times. The teams have drawn five times. The last meeting was the cup match a few weeks ago, which the Wolves won 1:0. However, the highest victory belongs to Leipzig with a 6:1 in 2019
- Leipzig won more games in direct comparison
- The goal difference overall is 32:16 from Leipzig’s point of view
- The last meeting was won by Wolfsburg
