Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund meet in the Bundesliga at the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday.
Dortmund arrive sat second in the table, with 45 points from 20 games, while Wolfsburg sit 14th on 19 points, just above the relegation zone.
Wolfsburg vs Borussia Dortmund – Match preview and team news
- Date: Saturday, 7th February.
- Kick-off: 2:30pm BST.
- Venue: Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg.
Wolfsburg team news
Wolfsburg remain without several players: Cleiton (ankle), Bence Dardai (knee), Moritz Jenz (suspended), Joakim Mæhle (shoulder), Rogério (muscular), Jenson Seelt (illness) and striker Jonas Wind (thigh) are all listed as out.
Kilian Fischer, Hensel, Vinícius Souza, Patrick Wimmer and Zielinski are considered doubtful, giving Bauer selection headaches, particularly in defence and wide areas.
Borussia Dortmund team news
Defender Filippo Mane is ruled out with a thigh injury, while Emre Can (illness) and Marcel Sabitzer (calf) are listed as doubtful. However, Sabitzer has already missed recent Champions League action and remains a fitness concern.
Dortmund’s squad depth in midfield and attack is still strong. Gregor Kobel is set to start in goal for Dortmund, shielded by a back three of Niklas Süle, Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck.
Wing-backs Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson are expected to provide width, with Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmecha in central midfield behind an attacking trio of Maximilian Beier, Julian Brandt and Serhou Guirassy.
Head coach Niko Kovač has recently challenged his side to show greater conviction after a 2-0 home defeat to Inter in the Champions League, saying his feeling was that Dortmund “showed a little too much respect” despite believing they “have [their] qualities, too.”
Form
Wolfsburg
Across their last five Bundesliga fixtures, Wolfsburg’s form reads L-L-D-W-L, reflecting back-to-back away defeats to Köln and Mainz in their most recent encounters.
A home draw with Heidenheim, a narrow win over St Pauli (2-1) and a heavy 8-1 loss to Bayern are the other results in their last five matches.
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund’s last five Bundesliga matches show WWWWD, a sequence that includes home wins over Werder Bremen, St Pauli and Heidenheim, plus an impressive 3-0 victory away to Union Berlin and a draw in their earlier domestic run.
They average over two goals scored and under one conceded per league game (41 for, 19 against), explaining their +22 goal difference and second-place position on 45 points.
Predicted lineups
Wolfsburg: Grabara; Kumbedi, Vavro, Koulierakis, Zehnter; Gerhardt, Arnold; Eriksen, Majer, Amoura; Pejčinović.
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Süle, Anton, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson; Beier, Brandt; Guirassy.
How to watch Wolfsburg vs Borussia Dortmund?
In the UK, Sporticos lists bet365’s live streaming service as an option for viewers with eligible accounts.
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