13 August 2021, 21:57 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
German Bundesliga fixture, VfL Wolfsburg vs. VfL Bochum 1848 kicks off 14:30 (GMT+1) this Saturday, August 14 at the Volkswagen Arena.
Preview VfL Wolfsburg Bundesliga, Aug 14, 2021
Preview Wolfsburg will be making a return behind the 3-1 win over SC Preußen Münster in last Sunday's first-round DFB Pokal fixture. Marcel Hoffmeier (74') handed Münster the lead late into the game before a stoppage-time goal from Josip Brekalo (90'+ET) sent the game into extra time. Minutes later, Wout Weghorst (103') handed Wolfsburg the lead before Ridle Baku (120'+1) put the game to bed in the final moments. The spirited victory would steel the Wolves ahead of their opening game of the season when they welcome Bochum to the Volkswagen Arena. A busy summer transfer window saw Wolves bring in Maximilian Philipp on a permanent deal from Dynamo Moscow for €7.5M. Sebastiaan Bornauw also made the summer switch from the Billy Goats for a fee of €13.5M. Meanwhile, the likes of Omar Marmoush and Marvin Stefaniak returned after loan spells. A victory over Bochum is expected when Mark van Bommel makes his debut as coach of VfL Wolfsburg in a competitive match. An attacking 4—2—3—1 formation with Wout Weghorst leading the front line remains imminent. Left-back, Paulo Otávio remains doubtful for this fixture due to an ankle injury while William is sidelined with a cruciate ligament rupture.
Preview VfL Bochum 1848 Bundesliga, Aug 14, 2021
Preview Last season, VfL Bochum were crowned Champions of the German Bundesliga 2 after picking up 67 points in 34 games which saw them return to Germany's professional top-flight league. Die Unabstateigbaren will be hoping to remain in the Bundesliga at the end of this season. In preparation for the task ahead, VfL Bochum played several pre-season club friendly matches, - defeating the likes of the Italian side, Parma Calcio 1913, 1-0 and Wuppertaler SV, 2-1. However, they lost to FC Utrecht, 2-0 and SBV Vitesse, 2-1. Bochum added several reinforcements to the squad, bringing in the likes of Christopher Antwi-Adjei on a free transfer while Takuma Asano who was without a club also joined the squad. Bochum parted ways with goalkeeper, Patrick Drewes who left the club on a free transfer. Defensive midfielder, Lars Holtkamp also exited the club on a similar arrangement. Coach, Thomas Reis would be looking forward to picking up three points and get Bochum's 2021/22 Bundesliga campaign off to a flying start. An attacking 4—3—3 formation is expected from Reis when his side makes their very first appearance of the season on the road with a visit to the Volkswagen Arena in the opening weekend of the season.