Bundesliga: Wolfsburg are Facing a Red Bull Stampede

VfL Wolfsburg vs RB Leipzig

Bundesliga football kicks off with a bang on Friday night when VfL Wolfsburg vs. RB Leipzig is the box office draw at the Volkswagen Arena.

These are two clubs in some state of turmoil at the moment. Ralph Hassenhuttl’s Die Wolfe have lost their last three league games to drop down to 12^th in the league table. But in a congested race for European places, Wolfsburg are only four points behind Freiburg in seventh and seven behind Die Roten Bullen in fifth.

Meanwhile, the visitors have a new interim manager at the helm after Zsolt Low replaced the sacked Marco Rose last month after a run of three wins from 11 league games.

Since his arrival, Low led Red Bull to a DFB-Pokal loss to VfB Stuttgart, but he won his first Bundesliga game in charge, a 3-1 triumph over Hoffenheim. That victory lifted Leipzig to within a point of fourth spot, and another victory on Friday will launch them into the Champions League places.

Wolfsburg can’t really drop any further. They are at the bottom of the Europe-chasing pile and five points clear of Union Berlin in 13^th and 11 clear of Hoffenheim in 14^th. A 1-0 loss away to Union Berlin last week made it three in a row, and that is a decline Hassenhuttl needs to arrest and quickly.  

This is a classic six-pointer and a game which really can go either way. So, let’s take a closer look at the two sides and put together our SBOTOP tips.

 

Talking Points

Shot shy Wolves need to find their bite

You don’t have to look too closely to see where Wolfsburg’s recent problems are. They have scored just three goals in their last six outings, two of those in a 2-1 win away to Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg’s last victory on March 1^st, and the other in a 1-1 draw at home to St. Pauli a week later. Since then, Die Wolfe have lost three games, all by a 1-0 scoreline to Augsburg, Heidenheim, and Berlin.

Forwards Mohamed Amoura, with 10 goals and seven assists, and Jonas Wind, with eight goals and four assists, were having strong seasons as Wolfsburg knocked on the door of the top four, but they have been misfiring in recent weeks. With 12 shots and three on target and 11 with two on target in their last two games, the Wolves have been huffing and puffing but have been unable to blow anything down.

Wolfsburg hit five when they met Red Bull in the league earlier in the campaign, and their fans would love to see even a glimpse of that sort of attacking success on Friday. 

 

Low’s coaching pedigree

The 45-year-old Low has spent much of his young coaching career alongside current England manager Thomas Tuchel, who he worked with at PSG and Chelsea, and he also worked under Hassenhuttl at Leipzig back in 2017. After Red Bull lost in a Europe chasing six-pointer to Borussia Monchengladbach, that was the last straw for Rose’s career in Leipzig, and now Low has the chance to prove he can win the big games, ready for a top four assault. And he certainly has the tools at his disposal in a talented Red Bull squad.

In Benjamin Sesko with 11 goals and four assists Lois Openda with eight goals and five assists and Xavi Simons with seven and four, Die Roten Bullen have a vibrant and three-pronged attack. Sesko, who scored in the 3-1 defeat of Heidenheim last week is attracting a lot of Premier League interest, while Openda and Simons too have plenty of admirers.      

 

History

Red Bull have had the better of the head-to-heads over the past 15 seasons, winning 12 to Wolfsburg’s seven, and there have been six draws. And the last meeting, a DFB-Pokal quarter-final just over a month ago, finished 1-0 to Red Bull with a goal from Sesko.

But the Wolves mauled the Bulls in Leipzig earlier in the campaign as Amoura scored twice in the 5-1 win. But my Bundesliga 2025 betting odds aren’t going to predict a repeat of that spectacular clash filled with Bundesliga 2025 highlights.

With two wins, one draw, and three losses, Leipzig’s poor run of form is at least better than Wolfsburg’s which reads a miserable one won, one draw, and four defeats from the last six outings. And Die Wolfe have struggled for wins at home, registering just three victories, six draws, and five defeats at the Volkswagen Arena.       

 

Betting Tip

With Wolfsburg at 2.54 and Red Bull at 2.33, there is little to choose between these two teams, and there is some merit in backing the draw at a price of 3.23.

But I think the Bulls have the greater quality and their hosts are in a rut, particularly at home. And for a correct scoreline, I’d back 1-2 at 8.68.  

   

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