Opponent analysis: VfL Wolfsburg vs RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig are in action away at VfL Wolfsburg in the early evening on Tuesday (18:00 CET) as they look to book their place in the round of 16 in the DFB-Pokal. This will be the sixth meeting between the two clubs in the competition – RBL have secured progression in four of those ties up until now.

Whilst our lads have emerged from a perfect week with three victories, nine points and a 12-2 goal record, VfL have fallen to defeat in each of their last three Bundesliga games. Nevertheless, head coach Niko Kovac’s team is full of quality and a young Dane is causing a stir for them in attack.

In our opponent analysis, we’ve gathered everything you need to know about our next opponents, including their recent form, key players, and our recent record against them.

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Current form

Wolfsburg started the season with a commanding 6-0 win away at Makkabi Berlin in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. They also started out well in the league with two wins against Heidenheim (2-0) and Köln (2-1). However, Nico Kovac’s side have just lost three games in a row, suffering defeats against Stuttgart (3-1), Leverkusen (2-1) and Augsburg (3-2).
Kovac spoke bluntly after the loss away at FC Augsburg: “Our form is not good. We have a good team, but we need to start picking up points again. Otherwise, we’ll fall down the table very quickly.”

The Wolves are currently sat mid-table in ninth place with 12 points from nine games, having won four and lost five of their opening fixtures.

Wolfsburg’s form in numbers

VfL Wolfsburg…

… are winless in their last three games
… have one of the most clinical strikers in the Bundesliga so far this season in the form of Jonas Wind (8 goals).
… have won three of their four home games this season

Squad

Transfers

VfL landed a real coup after securing Lovro Majer’s signature over the summer. The Croatia international (25 games/4 goals) is right at home in attacking midfield and did well in Ligue 1 with Stade Rennes before his move to the Bundesliga. Majer (25) has impressed with his vision and technical ability and has filled the role left vacant at VfL following Felix Nmecha’s departure (Borussia Dortmund). The Croat has registered a goal and two assists in his nine Bundesliga games to date.
Their second new arrival has brought plenty of international experience with him: Joakim Maehle caught the eye during his time at Atalanta and whilst playing for the Denmark national team. The wide player has been employed on the right-hand side since his transfer, has started all ten competitive games for VfL this season and has registered three goal contributions (1 goal/2 assists).
Centre-back Moritz Jenz demonstrated during his time with Schalke 04 last season that he is a solid presence at the back. The left-footed player, who was signed to replace Micky van de Ven (Tottenham), played his part in a successful start to the season. However, Jenz was then sidelined by an ankle injury and only returned to full fitness earlier this month. Nevertheless, the 1.90m tall man remains a key figure in Niko Kovac’s defence.

Further new arrivals

Vaclav Cerny (Twente)
Tiago Tomas (Sporting CP/VfB Stuttgart)
Cedric Zesiger (Young Boys)
Amin Sarr (Olympique Lyon)
Rogerio (US Sassuolo)

Departures

Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur)
Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund)
Marin Pongracic (US Lecce)
Tim Siersleben (1. FC Heidenheim)
Omar Marmoush (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Paulo Otavio (Al-Sadd SC)
Bryang Kayo (FC Ingolstadt)

Key players

You can’t talk about VfL without mentioning Jonas Wind – the striker has been Wolfsburg’s player of the season so far. The Denmark international, who along with Joakim Maehle is also teammates with Yussi Poulsen, has scored eight of his team’s 13 Bundesliga goals and has also provided one assist. The 24-year-old has been directly involved in around 70% of Wolfsburg’s goals this term.
Wind has a habit of scoring braces. He bagged two goals against Heidenheim, as well as against Köln and Frankfurt. Wind has scored a variety of different goals this season – he has scored with both feet as well with his head. The striker needed a little bit of time to get up to speed after arriving from FC Copenhagen in the winter of 2022. Wind scored five goals in 14 games in his first six months, whilst managing six goals in 24 matches in the 2022/23 season.
Maxence Lacroix (23) is a constant feature in VfL’s defence. The Frenchman is in his fourth season with Wolfsburg, has appeared in every competitive game so far this term and also got on the scoresheet against Leverkusen. The defender is a strong physical presence (1.90m tall), whilst he’s also comfortable playing out from the back.
“He’s a rock at the back with his aggression, robustness and good positioning,” Niko Kovac explaining, praising the Frenchman. “He’s a key figure in our defence.”
Matthias Svanberg plays in midfield alongside captain Maximilian Arnoldand Yannick Gerhardt. The Swede (30 international caps) mops up in the middle of the pitch, but is also adept when it comes to setting up his teammates in attack. Svanberg has played almost every game since his arrival from Serie A club Bologna in the summer of 2022 and he has constantly delivered strong performances on the pitch.

Absentees

First-choice keeper absent, doubts over Wind

Niko Kovac revealed in the pre-match press conference that VfL will be missing a number of their key players in the DFB-Pokal clash against RBL.

Goalkeeper Koen Casteels is still recovering from an injury and will be replaced once again by Pavao Pervan.
Left-back Rogerio also won’t be ready to make an appearance after having been absent over the past few weeks due to calf problems.
Forward Patrick Wimmer sustained an injury in the meeting with FC Augsburg last weekend. Kovac shared that the Austria international will not be in the squad on Tuesday.
Star striker Jonas Wind is suffering from Achilles tendon problems. “We’ll have to see what to do tomorrow and assess if he’s fit. I don’t want to make a bigger deal out of it than it is, but we’re taking it seriously and will decide on matchday whether Jonas will be able to play or not,” explained Kovac.

Further absentees

Lukas Nmecha (Knee injury)
Kilian Fischer (Knee injury)
Ulysses Llanez (Car accident)
Felix Lange (Ankle injury)

Head coach

Niko Kovac is a head coach who knows how to win trophies. Wolfsburg is the former midfielder’s third Bundesliga post after stints at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he won the DFB-Pokal in 2018, and FC Bayern, who he led to a league title in 2019.
Wolfsburg spent the majority of the 2021/22 season in the bottom half of the table, eventually finishing in 12th place. Kovac has managed to stabilise the Wolves since taking over in summer 2022. VfL finished last season in eighth, narrowly missing out on European football after a 2-1 loss to already relegated Hertha BSC on the last day of the season.

It didn’t change Kovac’s aims, however. “We want to play on the international stage,” said the 52-year-old before the start of the season.

An exciting career as a player and a coach

The Berlin-born coach had a successful playing career. He won the Intercontinental Cup, Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal with FC Bayern. The last club Kovac played for was Red Bull Salzburg, where he won the Austrian Bundesliga twice.
The former Croatia international (83 caps) began his coaching career with the Austrian outfit in the 2011/12 campaign, serving as Ricardo’s Moniz’s assistant. He then went on to coach the Croatia U21s, before putting himself forward for the senior side in 2013. He led Luka Modric and Co. during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but they were eliminated in the group stage.

He was head coach of AS Monaco during the 2020/21 season before taking over at Wolfsburg.

RBL vs. Wolfsburg

RBL have fared well against Wolfsburg in recent times, winning the last three league meetings between the two sides without conceding a goal. Our lads have also won their three most recent clashes against VfL in the Pokal, even running out 6-1 winners in the last game between the teams in this competition four years ago.

Head-to-head

19 games, 10 wins, 5 draws, 4 defeats
5 meetings in the Pokal, 4 RBL wins
Biggest win: 6-1 on 30th October 2019 (Goals: Timo Werner (2), Emil Forsberg, Konrad Laimer, Marcel Sabitzer, Bruma OG)
Top goalscorer: Timo Werner (six goals and five assists in 17 games)