Bundesliga: Wolves and Red Bulls Set for a Collision Course

VfL Wolfsburg vs RB Leipzig

There will be a battle between two top-four hopefuls at the Volkswagen Arena as VfL Wolfsburg host RB Leipzig this Saturday as part of the 21^st matchday program of the Bundesliga.

Time is of the essence for VfL Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig with less than half of the season remaining, and they have a lot of ground to make up if they want to play in Europe next season.

VfL Wolfsburg are now in seventh place with 30 points, while RB Leipzig are in a much better situation in fifth with 36 points.

Last weekend, VfL Wolfsburg were held to a scoreless draw by Schalke on Saturday, while RB Leipzig are coming off a 2-1 loss to Union Berlin on Sunday.

Read on below as SBOTOP offers a sneak peek of what to expect from this high-profile matchup.

Talking Points

VfL Wolfsburg’s growing pains

There was so much promise when Niko Kovac took over the head coaching reins for VfL Wolfsburg late last year. The Wolves finished 2022 strong under Kovac’s leadership with four straight victories, then had five wins and two losses in January 2023.

But VfL Wolfsburg came crashing back to earth with three straight losses to Werder Bremen, Union Berlin (in the DFB-Pokal), and Bayern Munich before their goalless draw against Schalke.

The Wolves haven’t been clinical enough in the final third, and their top scorers are in a funk. Ridle Baku, Maximillian Arnold, Yannick Gerhardt, Jonas Wind, and Lukas Nmecha have combined for 25 goals so far this season, but none of them found the back of the net during their winless run.

If there’s any consolation for Niko Kovac, it is that he has a full squad to choose from on Saturday, especially with Lukas Nmecha looking fully healed from the patella tendon tear he suffered late last year.

Nmecha has been in and out of VfL Wolfsburg’s starting XI lately, having not played during their game against Schalke, so he should get more run against RB Leipzig.

Nkunku back in training for RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig were once considered a worthy challenger to possibly dethrone Bayern Munich once and for all. But since holding the Bavarians to a 1-1 draw in their encounter last January, the Red Bulls have had a mixed bag of Bundesliga 2023 results (W2, L1, D1).

That’s fine since they did get some valuable points. But with Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund enjoying winning streaks of their own, that has resulted in the Red Bulls falling out of the top four.

Compared to VfL Wolfsburg, RB Leipzig have injuries to deal with in the form of Abdou Diallo (knee), Peter Gulacsi (knee), and Dani Olmo (thigh), and all of them aren’t expected to play on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Christopher Nkunku is back training with the squad, which will come as great news for the Red Bulls. The young Frenchman had been sidelined due to a knee injury he sustained before the World Cup.

Nkunku can make his comeback against VfL Wolfsburg, which is a perfect warm-up to their gigantic Champions League clash against Manchester City five days later. He is currently the team’s top scorer with 15 goals thus far.

History

VfL Wolfsburg have won only one of their last 11 competitive games against RB Leipzig (D4, L6), and they could now suffer three consecutive losses against them for the first time ever.

The Wolves lost 2-0 on both of their trips to Leipzig in 2022, with their most recent one in August, as Christopher Nkunku recorded a brace.

But in the Bundesliga, the Red Bulls have only won once in their trips to the Volkswagen Arena (1-0 in October 2016), and they’re also winless in their last five road games there (D3, L2).

This season, RB Leipzig have won just three of their 10 Bundesliga road games, last picking up fewer victories away from home at this stage during the 2021-22 season (W1). They are also winless in back-to-back league matches for the first time under head coach Marco Rose.

Betting Tip

The Bundesliga 2023 odds predict a tight contest on Saturday night. RB Leipzig were given a slight advantage at 2.16 to win, but VfL Wolfsburg aren’t far behind at 3.25, and a draw is priced at 3.35 in the 1X2 market.

These two clubs have had similar performances these past few weeks, but RB Leipzig’s recent dominance over VfL Wolfsburg is hard to ignore, so we feel that the Red Bulls will get the win here.

 

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