VfL Wolfsburg Haberleri

VfL Wolfsburg have put themselves in a strong position to qualify for Europe next season after overcoming TSG Hoffenheim 2-1 at home on Bundesliga Matchday 32. Jakub Kaminski (15’) and Luca Waldschmidt (75’) were on the scoresheet for Niko Kovac’s side in front of 22,617 fans at the Volkswagen Arena, with a Josuha Guilavogui own goal in stoppage time (90’+3) coming too late for the visitors to salvage a point.

When the Wolves play host to TSG Hoffenheim in their penultimate home match of the season on Saturday 13 May (kick-off: 15.30 CEST), it will be a welcome return to a more conventional start time. Four of the Green-and-Whites’ last five matches have been played on a Sunday, but now they are getting back to the traditional Bundesliga kick-off time.

VfL Wolfsburg suffered a heavy 6-0 loss at Borussia Dortmund in the final game of Matchday 31. The Wolves defended high up the pitch in a bold start to the contest, but BVB were able to exploit the visitors’ high line and make the most of their goalscoring opportunities. Karim Adeyemi put Dortmund ahead in the 14th minute, before efforts from Sebastien Haller (28’) and Donyell Malen (37’) gave Borussia a 3-0 lead at the break.

The match between Borussia Dortmund and the Wolves on Sunday 7 May (kick-off 17:30 CEST), will bring Matchday 31 to a close. The Green-and-Whites underlined their European credentials last time out with a 3-0 win over Mainz and have very much raised their game over the past few months, reaping the rewards in the table with just one defeat in their last nine matches.

VfL Wolfsburg’s first new signing for the 2023/24 campaign has been confirmed, with 24-year-old Young Boys defender Cedric Zesiger joining the Green-and-Whites for the start of next season. The Switzerland international, who helped his current club secure the Swiss Super League title last weekend, has signed a four-year contract with the Wolves through to 30 June 2027.

VfL Wolfsburg will be able to count on Philipp Schulze for another three years, with the goalkeeper extending his contract with the Green-and-Whites through to 30 June 2026.

Ahead of the 52nd Bundesliga meeting between the two sides on Sunday 7 May (kick-off 17:30 CEST), Borussia have already recorded 31 wins against VfL. There have been 10 draws and 10 wins for the Green-and-Whites – only three of which have come away from home. 

VfL Wolfsburg delivered a statement of intent in the race for Europe on Sunday, earning a comfortable 3-0 win over 1. FSV Mainz 05 to end a run of six home games without victory. After Jonas Wind had given the Wolves a fifth-minute lead, Sebastiaan Bornauw doubled the Green-and-Whites’ advantage with a header (13’) before Wind scored again (28’) to make it 3-0 at the interval.

Bad news for VfL Wolfsburg and Maxence Lacroix: the centre-back, who was forced off at half-time in the match against Mainz, suffered a serious injury to his right shoulder. Tests on Monday revealed the extent of the injury, which the 23-year-old sustained in an aerial duel with Karim Onisiwo just before the break. Lacroix will undergo surgery and miss the Wolves’ final few matches of the season.

After the 5-1 success at Bochum last weekend, the Wolves host in-form 1. FSV Mainz 05 on Sunday 30 April (kick-off 17:30 CEST) in a key clash against a fellow contender for the European places. In his pre-match press conference, VfL head coach Niko Kovac discussed…
 
…the importance of the fixture: “It’s certainly a very important match, as the next matches are too. We can keep ourselves in the running on Sunday, whereas a defeat would certainly make it much more difficult. So, we know the importance of the game and also the quality of the opponents.”
 
…team news: “We have Bartol Franjic back, and Kilian Fischer was also back in training today. The two who won’t be involved are Lukas Nmecha and Kevin Paredes – with him we’re hoping he’ll be back with the group next week.”
 
…the absence of Micky van de Ven due to suspension: “Micky has been brilliant this season, I have to reiterate. He’s crucial to the solidity we have at the back, but we’ll deal fine with his absence, just like we have all the other problems we’ve had over the course of the season. I’m confident that whoever deputises will do just as well as he did in the 29 games before. Once again, we have plenty of options for this position.”
 
…Mainz’s qualities: “Everyone at Mainz knows how important it is to step out onto the pitch as a collective. They’re a team who physically work very hard, who score a lot of goals from crosses. They get forward really quickly; they’ve changed the system slightly since the last game we played in Mainz. In [Ludovic] Ajorque they’ve acquired a striker who holds the ball up very well and brings others into play. Things are looking very good, but we have to play our football too. We want to dominate.”