Stats, data, info – all you need to know about Wolfsburg v BVB | OneFootball

Niko Kovač returns. The head coach of Borussia Dortmund also spent almost two years on the sidelines at VfL Wolfsburg. On Saturday (February 7, 3:30 p.m.), he will face his old club with his new one.

Kovač joined VfL for the 2022/23 season. In his first year on the Mittelland Canal, the "Wolves" finished eighth, missing out on European competition by just one point. On the final matchday, they suffered a 2-1 home defeat to relegated Hertha BSC and, to make matters worse, were overtaken by Eintracht Frankfurt—the club with which the Berlin native won the DFB Cup in 2018.

The following season, Wolfsburg started strong and were seventh after six rounds. After a 1-0 away win against Darmstadt 98 on matchday 15 and sitting in ninth place, Kovač's team collapsed. Eleven Bundesliga matches without a win followed. After six draws and five defeats, which saw them drop to 14th place, the current BVB coach had to go.

In the past, Dortmund and Wolfsburg have faced each other 57 times in Germany’s top division. The Black and Yellows clearly lead the record with 36 wins to 10, along with eleven draws and a goal difference of 124:58. However, the first meeting between the two rivals did not take place in the top flight, but in the former 2. Liga Nord in 1974/75 (0-0, 2-2).

BVB: Wolfsburg’s Bogey Team

The Black and Yellows and the Green and Whites have also crossed swords in the DFB Cup. Only the 2013/14 semi-final went the way of the Westphalians, who won 2-0. Their bitterest defeat came in the 2015 final, when VfL prevailed 3-1. Most recently, they met in the second round of the 2024/25 cup, when the Lower Saxons advanced to the round of 16 with a 1-0 win after extra time.

However, the 2015 triumph was not a good omen for VfL. Apart from the 1-0 cup win, the "Wolves" have won only one of the following 22 encounters against BVB. Dortmund, on the other hand, have claimed 18 victories and can therefore rightfully call themselves Wolfsburg’s "bogey team."

While Borussia have currently closed the gap to league leaders Bayern Munich to just six points, things are going anything but well for the Lower Saxons. Of their last six Bundesliga matches, they managed only to win the relegation battle against St. Pauli (2-1). In addition to a 1-1 draw against Heidenheim, they suffered four defeats, including an 8-1 loss in Munich.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.