Bundesliga: BVB Can Exploit Wolfsburg’s Freefall to Solidify Credentials

VfL Wolfsburg vs Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund can strengthen their grip on a top-four spot when they’ll pay a visit to the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday to take on VfL Wolfsburg.

This Bundesliga fixture pits two teams whose recent forms couldn’t be any more different despite the collective talent that they each have.

The visitors have risen to fourth place with 40 points because they have yet to lose a single game in 2024 in all competitions (W4, D2), and they are fresh from a 3-0 win against SC Freiburg last weekend.

In stark contrast, the hosts are now winless in their last six, with their last victory being a 1-0 result over Darmstadt on December 16. As a result, VfL Wolfsburg are currently in 12^th place with 23 points.

Talking Points

More weapons available for Borussia Dortmund

Things are going to get better for Borussia Dortmund since they’ll have a full complement of players for this upcoming contest, with the exception of Felix Nmecha.

Much has already been said about the scintillating form of Niclas Fullkrug, who currently leads BVB in scoring with 11 goals and eight assists, but VfL Wolfsburg will have their hands full with their other weapons as well.

Donyell Malen is also firing, and he has nine goals, while Julian Brandt has seven goals and eight assists. Sebastien Haller is about to make his return after scoring the winning goal for Ivory Coast during the AFCON final, and he can open his account on Saturday.

Jadon Sancho will also fight for a place in the starting XI after coming off the bench against SC Freiburg last time out. The Manchester United loanee missed the game against Heidenheim due to a hamstring injury, but it appears that he is now 100-per cent fit.

And off the bench, there are the likes of Youssoufa Moukoko, Marcel Sabitzer, Karim Adeyemi, and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who are all capable of creating Bundesliga 2024 highlights. The four of them have combined for nine goals and nine assists so far this term.

Production has dried up for VfL Wolfsburg

VfL Wolfsburg could certainly use one of Borussia Dortmund’s weapons for this contest because they’re in dire need of production from their top guns.

Kevin Behrens, who joined from Union Berlin in January, has yet to open his account for VfL Wolfsburg after 1,112 minutes of action, while Jonas Wind, their current top scorer with nine goals, hasn’t scored since their 2-1 win over RB Leipzig on matchday 12.

And to make matters worse, defenders Moritz Jenz and Rogerio are unavailable for this game due to injuries, although they should see Koen Casteels back in goal after being out last Saturday.

With 13 matchdays remaining, time is running out for VfL Wolfsburg to make a push for one of the European spots. Last year, they missed out on a Europa Conference League spot by just one point because of their two-game losing streak at the end of the season.

History

After a 6-0 shellacking in May 2023, Borussia Dortmund managed to only win 1-0 against VfL Wolfsburg four months later, courtesy of Marco Reus’ second-half goal, during the first few weeks of the 2023-24 campaign.

VfL Wolfsburg won their last Bundesliga home match against Borussia Dortmund (2-0) in the 2022-23 season, but this was their only victory against BVB in 17 meetings in all competitions since a 3-1 result in the 2015 DFB-Pokal final (D1, L15).

Borussia Dortmund have gone three Bundesliga away matches without conceding a single goal, and they can level their club record of four straight clean sheets on the road dating back to 1994, although they failed to score a single goal in their last away match against Heidenheim earlier this month.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Bundesliga 2024 odds are predicting a tight contest between Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg, despite a 17-point gap between them in the German top-flight table.

BVB have the slight edge at 2.22 odds, whereas VfL Wolfsburg are not far behind at 2.80, and a draw is at 3.38 in the 1X2 market.

In terms of goal count, this game has the potential to be a high-scoring affair. So other than our recommended bet above, we are also inclined to go for alternatives like Total Goal 2-3 at 2.28, Total Goal 4-6 at 2.27, or Over 3.25 at 2.21.

But if you feel the opposite, then check out Correct Score 1-0 in favour of Borussia Dortmund, which was the result of their reverse fixture, since it is on offer at 10.50.

 

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