VfL Wolfsburg

Pavao Pervan is set to remain a VfL Wolfsburg player beyond next season after the 36-year-old goalkeeper extended his contract, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, until 2025. Pervan, who has appeared three times in the Bundesliga and once in the DFB Cup this term, has made 39 competitive outings in all competitions since joining the Wolves from Linzer ASK in 2018.

After an admittedly rather short break over Christmas, the Wolves returned to the training pitch at the VfL-Center on Thursday just eight days after their last competitive game of the year against Bayern Munich. Head coach Niko Kovac’s charges were put through their paces for almost two hours, despite the biting cold wind that accompanied them.

Following the final match of the year against FC Bayern Munich, the Wolves only have a brief breather. Head coach Niko Kovac will welcome his players back to the training pitch already on Thursday 28 December from 11:00 CET. VfL will train in Wolfsburg again on 29 December, before continuing their preparations for the second half of the season in Almancil, Portugal from 2 to 7 January. The warm-weather camp will be rounded off by a friendly match before the Wolves return to Bundesliga action away to 1. FSV Mainz 05 on 13 January.

The German Football Association (DFB) sports tribunal has suspended VfL centre-back Maxence Lacroix for two league matches because of unsportsmanlike conduct. Lacroix was sent off by referee Robert Hartmann in the 28th minute of the Wolves’ 1-0 win at Darmstadt for a professional foul.

Only three teams – Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich – have been ever-present in the Bundesliga since VfL Wolfsburg’s promotion to the top flight in 1997. Like every other club in the division, the Wolves will hope to improve their record against Bayern when they host the record German champions at 20:30 CET on Wednesday evening. VfL have won only five and drawn seven of the teams’ 59 competitive meetings, with their last victory coming in the 2015 Supercup. Read on for more facts and figures on the clash with the Bavarians:

VfL Wolfsburg put in a battling performance to earn a 1-0 victory away to promoted side Darmstadt on Saturday thanks to Lovro Majer’s 63rd-minute winner. The result ended a run of six consecutive away defeats, and came about despite Maxence Lacroix being sent off in the first half (28’).

Jonas Wind is VfL Wolfsburg’s sharpshooter par excellence and has already hit the net at an incredible rate this season, even if the 24-year-old is without a goal in his last two games – and the Wolves without a win. However, that could also be interpreted as a positive omen; Wind has never gone more than two games without scoring this season. In this interview, the Denmark international discusses his role at VfL and upcoming opponents Darmstadt 98.

The last two games against Bochum and Gladbach were disappointing in different ways. For their next assignment against SC Freiburg on Saturday 9 December (15:30 CET), the Wolves can take confidence from the venue, among other things. That is because the Green-and-Whites have collected 13 of their 16 points at the Volkswagen Arena this season. The overall head-to-head record between the two teams is also in VfL’s favour, with 16 wins to 15 and a goal difference of 70 to 56. Here are more facts and figures on the penultimate home game of the year:

VfL Wolfsburg are out of the DFB Cup in the toughest circumstances imaginable. Head coach Niko Kovac’s team went down late on Tuesday evening in the round of 16, losing 1-0 after extra time away to Borussia Mönchengladbach, sending them out of the competition.

VfL Wolfsburg’s struggles away from home continued on Saturday afternoon as they were beaten 3-1 by VfL Bochum, their sixth consecutive defeat on the road. Patrick Osterhage opened the scoring for the hosts in the 19th minute. Bernardo made it 2-0 with a header on 39 minutes, before Mattias Svanberg pulled a goal back for the Wolves in first-half stoppage time.