Wolfsburg will aim to strengthen their push for European qualification when they welcome struggling St. Pauli to the Volkswagen Arena for a Bundesliga clash on Saturday afternoon. The two teams could not be separated in their previous meeting at the Millerntor-Stadion, where they played out a goalless draw just under five months ago. Wolfsburg head into this fixture with confidence after bouncing back from a narrow DFB-Pokal quarter-final defeat to RB Leipzig with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga last weekend. Patrick Wimmer, who had netted just once in his first 19 league outings this season, delivered a crucial brace to secure the three points, extending the Wolves’ unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to six matches. Although they conceded late against Bremen, Wolfsburg managed to hold on for victory, a significant improvement given that they have dropped a league-high 16 points from winning positions this season.
Under the guidance of Ralph Hasenhüttl, Wolfsburg have matched their tally of 37 points from last season with 10 games still to play, highlighting their progression. Now sitting in seventh place, they are just four points behind the coveted Champions League spots. Consistency in attack has been a key factor in their success, as they have failed to score in only two Bundesliga games this season—one of which was their goalless draw against St. Pauli in October. Their home form has been solid, losing just once in their last 10 Bundesliga fixtures at the Volkswagen Arena while drawing each of their last three. With European football in sight, Hasenhüttl’s men will be eager to maintain momentum against a struggling opponent.
St. Pauli’s campaign has taken a concerning turn, with last season’s second-tier champions enduring a difficult transition to Bundesliga life. A 2-0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund last weekend marked their fourth consecutive league loss without scoring a goal, further deepening their relegation concerns. With 15 defeats in 24 matches, they find themselves hovering just four points above the relegation playoff spot, making this upcoming match crucial. Manager Alexander Blessin faces an uphill battle to solve his team’s attacking woes, as no Bundesliga side has scored fewer goals than St. Pauli’s tally of 18 this season. Their inability to respond to adversity is another alarming statistic—they remain the only team in Europe’s top-five leagues yet to claim a single point from a losing position this term. However, history provides some encouragement, as St. Pauli have only lost one of their previous 15 encounters with Wolfsburg across the top two divisions, boasting a five-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga, which includes four draws.
In terms of team news, Wolfsburg remain without several key players due to injury, including Kamil Grabara, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Lovro Majer, Lukas Nmecha, Kevin Paredes, Rogério, and Bartosz Białek. Club captain Maximilian Arnold is also a doubt with a knee problem. Hasenhüttl may opt to refresh the right side of his lineup, with Kilian Fischer potentially replacing Mads Roerslev at right-back, while Tiago Tomás is in contention to start ahead of Andreas Skov Olsen in attack. Jonas Wind, Wolfsburg’s top scorer with 10 league goals, is expected to continue leading the line, supported by Mohammed Amoura, who has netted nine times this season.
St. Pauli also have several absentees, with Sascha Burchert, Morgan Guilavogui, Connor Metcalfe, Karol Mets, James Sands, Robert Wagner, and Simon Zoller all sidelined. A tactical change could see Manolis Saliakas return to the starting XI at right wing-back, allowing Philipp Treu to shift over to his preferred left wing-back role. Johannes Eggestein, who has managed just three goals in 22 Bundesliga outings, is set to retain his place up front, supported by Elias Saad and Noah Weisshaupt from the flanks.
Wolfsburg are expected to line up with Müller in goal, behind a back four of Fischer, Vavro, Koulierakis, and Mæhle. Their midfield is likely to feature Tomás, Svanberg, Vranckx, and Wimmer, with Amoura playing just behind Wind in attack. St. Pauli’s probable starting XI includes Vasilj in goal, with Nemeth, Wahl, and Van der Heyden in defense. The midfield could consist of Saliakas, Irvine, Smith, and Treu, while Saad, Eggestein, and Weisshaupt will look to provide a much-needed attacking spark.
Despite St. Pauli’s historical success against Wolfsburg, their current form suggests another difficult outing. The hosts have been resilient at home, while their visitors have struggled immensely in front of goal. Although another close contest like the reverse fixture cannot be ruled out, Wolfsburg’s superior squad and recent momentum make them strong favorites to claim all three points. Expect a controlled performance from Hasenhüttl’s men, who should be able to secure a 3-0 victory and strengthen their position in the European race.
沃尔夫斯堡将在周六下午的德甲大众球场迎接处境艰难的圣保利,以加强他们对欧洲资格的争夺。就在五个月前,这两支球队在米勒特球场的上一次交锋中没有被分开,他们在那里上演了一场0比0的平局。沃尔夫斯堡在上周末的德甲1 / 4决赛中以2-1的比分艰难战胜云达不莱梅后,恢复了对莱比锡的信心。帕特里克·温默本赛季在联赛的前19场比赛中只打进1球,但他的关键进球帮助狼队拿到了3分,将狼队在德甲的不败纪录延长到了6场。尽管沃尔夫斯堡在对不来梅的比赛中最后时刻失球,但他们还是保住了胜利,这是一个很大的进步,因为他们本赛季已经从积分榜上丢掉了联赛最高的16分。
在拉尔夫·哈森<e:1>特尔的带领下,沃尔夫斯堡在还有10场比赛的情况下追平了上赛季的37分,凸显了他们的进步。现在他们排在第七位,只比他们梦寐以求的欧冠席位落后4分。稳定的进攻是他们成功的关键因素,因为他们本赛季只在两场德甲比赛中没有进球,其中一场是10月份对圣保利的比赛。他们的主场状态一直很稳定,最近10场德甲在大众球场只输了1场,而最近3场都是平局。随着欧洲足球的到来,hasenhttl的球员们将渴望在面对一个苦苦挣扎的对手时保持势头。
圣保利的赛季出现了令人担忧的转折,上赛季的二线冠军经历了艰难的过渡到德甲的生活。上周末0 - 2不敌多特蒙德,这是他们在联赛中连续四场失利,一球未进,进一步加深了他们的保级担忧。在24场比赛中15场失利,他们发现自己只比保级季后赛席位高出4分,这使得即将到来的比赛至关重要。主教练亚历山大·布莱辛面临着一场艰难的战斗,以解决他的球队的进攻困境,因为没有一支德甲球队在本赛季的进球数少于圣保利的18球。他们在逆境中的无能为力是另一个令人担忧的数据——他们仍然是本赛季欧洲五大联赛中唯一一支在输球后还没有拿到一分的球队。然而,历史给了我们一些鼓励,因为圣保利在前两级联赛中与沃尔夫斯堡的15次交锋中只输了一场,在德甲联赛中保持了5场不败,其中包括4场平局。
球队方面的消息是,沃尔夫斯堡仍然缺少几名关键球员,包括卡米尔·格拉巴拉、塞巴斯蒂安·博诺、洛夫罗·马耶、卢卡斯·恩米查、凯文·帕雷德斯、罗格姆里奥和巴尔托斯Białek。俱乐部队长马克西米利安·阿诺德也因为膝盖问题而受到怀疑。hasenhttl可能会选择更新他的右路阵容,基利安·菲舍尔可能会取代马德斯·罗尔斯列夫担任右后卫,而蒂亚戈Tomás则有可能在进攻端取代安德烈亚斯·斯科夫·奥尔森。沃尔夫斯堡10粒联赛进球的头号射手乔纳斯·温德,在本赛季已经打进9球的穆罕默德·阿莫拉的支持下,有望继续领跑锋线。
圣保利也有几名缺阵球员,萨沙·伯切特、摩根·吉拉沃吉、康纳·梅特卡夫、卡罗尔·梅茨、詹姆斯·桑兹、罗伯特·瓦格纳和西蒙·佐勒都缺阵。战术上的改变可能会让萨里亚斯回到首发11人的右后卫位置,让特鲁可以转到他喜欢的左后卫位置。埃格施泰因在22场德甲比赛中只进了3球,在萨阿德和韦斯肖普特的支持下,他将保留自己的锋线位置。
沃尔夫斯堡将以米勒为守门员,由菲舍尔、瓦夫罗、库利拉基斯和m -埃尔赫组成的四人后卫线。他们的中场可能有Tomás、思文凯、弗兰克斯和温默,阿莫拉在进攻端排在温德后面。圣保利可能的首发11人阵容包括瓦西里的球门,内梅特、沃尔和范德海登的后防线。中场可能由萨里亚斯、欧文、史密斯和特鲁组成,而萨阿德、埃格斯坦和韦斯肖普特将提供急需的进攻火花。
尽管圣保利在对沃尔夫斯堡的比赛中取得了历史性的胜利,但他们目前的状态表明他们将面临另一场艰难的比赛。主队在主场表现得很顽强,而客队却在门前苦苦挣扎。虽然另一场势均力敌的比赛,如反向比赛,不能被裁定
最后,沃尔夫斯堡的强大阵容和最近的势头使他们成为全取三分的大热门。期待hasenhttl的队员们有一个可控的表现,他们应该能够确保3-0的胜利,并加强他们在欧洲比赛中的地位。