Preview: Wolfsburg vs. Hoffenheim - prediction, team news, lineups

Wolfsburg will be looking to make it three wins in a row when they welcome fellow European hopefuls Hoffenheim to the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday.

The hosts have quickly turned results around after a dreadful run of form, whilst the visitors have returned to winning ways themselves following their 2-0 triumph last weekend.

Match preview

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Just a two-week period has drastically changed the outlook at Wolfsburg, with Saturday's hosts ending an 11-game winless streak - nine of which were defeats - to record back-to-back victories in the Bundesliga.

Florian Kohfeldt's slump in form left last season's fourth-placed side in danger of a catastrophic relegation out of the top flight, but the two wins have lifted Die Wolfe into 12th place ahead of matchday 23.

That rise in the table has pulled Wolfsburg five points clear of the relegation zone as things stand, and to within seven points of the European places all of a sudden.

Although the first of their two victories came expectedly - in a 4-1 success over bottom-of-the-table Greuther Furth on home soil - last weekend's win was far more impressive.

Kohfeldt's men won at another European hopeful in the form of Eintracht Frankfurt last Saturday, with Max Kruse netting his first goal since returning to the club in January, and Dodi Lukebakio sealing the points in second-half stoppage time.

Wolfsburg remained quiet in terms of creativity and clear goalscoring opportunities, but the most impressive aspect of their performance was their ability to restrict their hosts to very little in front of goal themselves, with John Brooks especially putting in an excellent display in a solid back line.

A similar kind of performance could be required on Saturday for the home side to take all three points once more, which could lift them to within four points of the top six during their resurgence.

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Meanwhile, visitors Hoffenheim ended a recent poor run of form themselves when they won 2-0 at home to an in-form Arminia Bielefeld last Sunday.

Die Kraichgauer had lost four straight fixtures since winning their opening game of 2022 against Augsburg, with three of the defeats arriving in the Bundesliga.

Benjamin Hubner and Georginio Rutter netted the goals to end that poor run, as Sebastian Hoeness's side returned to their best for the first time since the fantastic run of form that had catapulted them into the top four before Christmas.

Like their hosts at the weekend though, Hoffenheim's defensive success was perhaps the most pleasing aspect of their display from Hoeness' point of view, with his team recording their first clean sheet in 11 matches in the process.

Although, this would not have been too surprising given the calibre of their opponent, but the victory was deserved nonetheless, and was one that lifted them into fifth place in the table.

As a result, Saturday's visitors head into their clash at the Volkswagen Arena level on points with RB Leipzig in the final Champions League spot, and with Die Roten Bullen not in action until Sunday, it gives Hoffenheim the chance to reclaim their spot in the top four.

Team News

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With no fresh injury concerns, Kohfeldt could opt to name the same starting 11 that won in Frankfurt last week, although Lukebakio replacing Maximilian Philipp is a possibility following his goal from the bench.

Kruse and fellow January arrival Jonas Wind have made a big difference in the last two games for Wolfsburg, and they will make up the remainder of their forward line.

William, Xaver Schlager and Paulo Otavio remain unavailable for the long term, whilst Lukas Nmecha is still a couple of weeks away from returning from his broken ankle.

Young defender Micky van de Ven joins them on the list of absentees, with him being ruled out for another couple of weeks with a hamstring injury.

As for the visitors, their win over Bielefeld came at a cost, with Florian Grillitsch and Dennis Geiger each picking up their fifth yellow cards of the season, which rules them out of Saturday's trip through suspension.

The influential Andrej Kramaric should return from COVID-19 though, and he should slot back into the starting lineup immediately.

Ermin Bicakcic and Robert Skov are ruled through injury, whilst Chris Richards and Angelo Stiller are doubts due to a foot problem and illness respectively.

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:
Casteels; Lacroix, Bornauw, Brooks; Baku, Arnold, Vranckx, Roussillon; Kruse, Philipp; Wind

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Posch, Vogt, Hubner; Bebou, Samassekou, Baumgartner, Raum; Kramaric; Rutter, Dabbur

We say: Wolfsburg 1-1 Hoffenheim

There is very little to choose between these two sides as we head into Saturday's clash, with both recently ending their poor runs of form and both possessing similar qualities on their day.

As a result, we are predicting for the two teams to cancel each other out and finish level at the Volkswagen Arena.

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