VfL Wolfsburg – Bayer Leverkusen
After last weekend’s international matches, the eyes of soccer fans in Germany turn back to the Bundesliga. Matchday 8 promises many exciting games, including the duel between VfL Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen next Saturday. In this duel, two real top teams will meet.
The hosts from Lower Saxony are in a good seventh place in the table so far and have won every game at home so far. Before the international break, however, the Wolves lost to VfB Stuttgart. Leverkusen, on the other hand, has yet to lose a game this season and has earned 19 points from its first seven games. This puts the Rhinelanders on the league throne ahead of the matchday.
However, the recent past speaks against the Werkself. This is the fourth time Leverkusen has entered the Autostadt as the league leaders. On the previous three occasions, in 1999, 2001 and 2014, hosts Wolfsburg retained the upper hand each time Leverkusen traveled to Lower Saxony as league leaders. Find out who will come out on top in our Wolfsburg – Leverkusen betting tips.
Wolfsburg – Leverkusen info
- Date & Time: 21.10.2023, 15:30 hrs.
- Game venue: Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 8.
- TV coverage: Sky
Wolfsburg form & balance check
In the previous season, VfL Wolfsburg struggled for a long time to qualify for international competitions, but narrowly failed to achieve that goal. Under the leadership of coach Niko Kovac, the Wolves are aiming for an even better ranking in the Bundesliga in the new season.
The start of the season has also been promising so far in any case, with twelve points from the first seven games. However, the last two away games against the top teams from Dortmund and Stuttgart ended without points. At home, however, VfL is still without a loss of points, which puts the Lower Saxons in seventh place in the league.
Wolfsburg home strength
The home Volkswagen Arena was not really an advantage for the Wolves in the preseason. In the home table, the VfL ended up only in tenth place in the table during the past season. After the winter break, the team from Lower Saxony even won only three of its ten home games.
Now, however, things are going much better for Niko Kovac’s team at home. In the current Bundesliga season, VfL Wolfsburg has won every home game. In each of these games, the VfL scored two goals and conceded one only in the duel with Union Berlin. With a win against Leverkusen, VfL could start a season with four home wins for the first time.
Wolfsburg facts & analysis
- Three wins from first three home games.
- In 7th place in the Bundesliga
- Lost 3-1 in Stuttgart before international break
Leverkusen form & balance check
The high quality of Bayer Leverkusen is not a surprise for most fans, however, only a few experts predicted this absolutely outstanding start to the season of the Werkself. For one, the Rhinelanders are still without a point loss in the Europa League and lead their Group H.
The same does not fully apply to the Bundesliga, but there, too, the Werkself is the leader of the table and gave up only two points in the first seven games. The last three games Bayer 04 won again absolutely sovereign and had at this time a goal ratio of 10:1 in total.
Wirtz in focus
One of Bayer Leverkusen’s many internationals was Florian Wirtz. The number 10 Bayer 04 was missing in the preseason still the first 15 match days after a cruciate ligament tear in the season before. The 20-year-old’s return played a key role in Leverkusen’s upturn in fortunes. In the meantime, however, the international is once again inescapably important for the Werkself.
Florian Wirtz boasts an impressive 66 percent win rate in starting eleven appearances for Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 2023. In particular, the attacking midfielder once again showed his class when he set up Hofmann’s goal with an outstanding hacking assist to make it 1-0 against 1. FC Köln.
Leverkusen facts & analysis
- Still without defeat this season.
- Leaders of the league
- Won 3-0 against Leverkusen before the international break
Predicted lineup – last update on October 20, 2023
At VfL Wolfsburg, we again expect a 4-2-3-1 as the basic system. Yannick Gerhardt was injured recently and will probably not play directly from the start against Leverkusen. Top goal scorer Jonas Wind will once again cause a stir for the Wolves in the center of attack.
For the Werkself, Xabi Alonso will again line up in a 3-4-2-1. Although many internationals have returned to the team late, there will be no experiments in the starting eleven. Therefore, we expect the same starting lineup as last time against Cologne.
Wolfsburg – Leverkusen direct comparison & statistics
The clash between the two factory clubs has been played 55 times so far. VfL Wolfsburg triumphed in 21 duels, while Bayer Leverkusen even emerged victorious 24 times. However, the Wolves have lost only one of their last seven games against Bayer 04. Since Dieter Hecking’s era, however, VfL Wolfsburg has not won against Bayer Leverkusen at home.
- Wolfsburg’s last home win against Leverkusen was on 10/31/2015.
- Both teams are separated by seven points in the league.
- Bayer Leverkusen has scored in every competitive match so far this season
