VfL Wolfsburg vs Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title charge is back on, but they still have a long way to defend their title. Xabi Alonso’s side is second in the German top-flight table with 45 points, six points behind Bayern Munich after the first 20 matchdays of 2024-25.
Die Werkself are fresh from a 3-2 win over Koln yesterday in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals, reminding us of the comeback kings that they are, so they will be confident when they head to the Volkswagen Arena to take on VfL Wolfsburg this Saturday.
Meanwhile, VfL Wolfsburg are eight notches below Bayer Leverkusen in the standings with 29 points, level with 11th-seeded Borussia Dortmund. Ralph Hasenhüttl’s men are winless in their last three matches, so they’re in danger of falling out of the Top 10. With almost a full week to prepare, can the hosts take advantage of their fresher legs against the visitors?
Talking Points
VfL Wolfsburg suffer huge injury blow
The Wolves won’t have their first-choice goalkeeper this weekend, as Kamil Grabara sustained a thigh injury during the team’s 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt last time out. The team announced they’re expecting the Polish international to be out for a while because of the severity of the knock.
Losing Grabara is a shame since he was arguably VfL Wolfsburg’s best player last Saturday. The 26-year-old shot stopper made several important saves that made life difficult for Die Adler. It’s no coincidence Eintracht Frankfurt scored the equaliser when Grabara was subbed off in the second half.
Marius Müller came on for Grabara and conceded a late equalizer from Can Uzun. The 31-year-old goalie must do better, and he will have his hands full when he takes the starting goalie role this Saturday against Bayer Leverkusen.
Besides Grabara, Ralph Hasenhüttl will likely have the same starting XI against the defending champions because of their worrying injury list. Bartosz Białek (knee), Niklas Klinger (wrist), Kevin Paredes (foot), Lovro Majer (ankle), and Rogerio (knee) are ruled out.
Wirtz continues to carry Bayer Leverkusen
Florian Wirtz won the Bundesliga Player of the Month award last month and might win it again. He was awarded the Bundesliga Goal of the Month for January and is one of the top six nominees for the Player of the Month recognition. He is the team’s second-leading scorer and best playmaker with nine league goals and nine assists this season.
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder sparked Bayer Leverkusen’s fightback against Koln in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals. Wirtz teed up Patrik Schick for their first goal to cut the deficit to one goal. Schick and Victor Boniface scored two more goals to snatch the victory.
Xabi Alonso doesn’t have many injuries to deal with unlike Ralph Hasenhüttl, but he will miss an important player this weekend. Alex Grimaldo, with two league goals and four assists, must serve his ban for an accumulation of yellow cards, so Piero Hincapie will likely take his place in the starting XI.
History
VfL Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen have already faced off earlier this season. Die Werkself came away with a 4-3 win, as Victor Boniface scored the matchwinner in stoppage time. Florian Wirtz, Jonathan Tah, and Piero Hincapie also scored for Bayer Leverkusen. Nordi Mukiele had an own goal, and Sebastiaan Bornauw and Mattias Svanberg scored for VfL Wolfsburg, who were also reduced to 10 men after Yannick Gerhardt was sent off in the 88th minute.
Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten in their previous six Bundesliga matches against VfL Wolfsburg (W4, D2) – their longest undefeated streak against them. Die Werkself are also undefeated in 26 consecutive away league matches (W19, D7).
VfL Wolfsburg have won three of their last five home league matches (D1, L1). However, they have already dropped 15 points from winning position this season – a league-high.
Betting Tip
The Bundesliga 2025 odds expect the visitors to prevail at the Volkswagen Arena this weekend. Bayer Leverkusen are 1.83 favourites to win, whereas VfL Wolfsburg are at 3.70 odds, and a draw is at 3.52 in the 1X2 market. A draw or a loss is considered a big blow to Bayer Leverkusen’s title charge. Bayern Munich will cheer for Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side. However, Die Werkself should take all three points, no problem.
Will we see more Bundesliga 2025 highlights between these two sides? Maybe. Besides our recommended bet, SBOTOP bettors and football fans can also go for options like Over 2.50 at 1.66, Over 2.75 at 1.83, Over 3.00 at 2.11, and Total Goals 4-6 at 2.78, with Total Goals 2-3 at 2.05 being the more conservative choice.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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