VfL Wolfsburg vs. TSG Hoffenheim: Preview, team news & predicted lineups | OneFootball

Matchday 9 of the Bundesliga will conclude at the Volkswagen Arena as Wolfsburg host Hoffenheim with the hope of a first home win of the season.

VfL Wolfsburg

Wolfsburg finally returned to winning ways last week with a narrow victory at HSV, but they were knocked out of the cup by second-tier Holstein Kiel in midweek. Paul Simonis hopes to avoid the fate of his predecessors, as there has been instability in the club since Oliver Glasner left in 2021.

The 40-year-old managed to win the Dutch cup with the lowly Go Ahead Eagles, but he’s still waiting for his first home win at Wolfsburg. Following their exciting 3-3 draw with Köln in mid-September, only summer signing Adam Daghim managed to score a goal for the club in six matches.

However, they now have a chance to win back-to-back league games for the first time since mid-January. They also have a better record in recent matches against Hoffenheim, with two wins and two draws from the last four meetings.

Team News

Kamil Grabara, who saved a penalty-kick in the win over HSV, will return after missing the cup action because of a thigh injury. Denis Vavro is also now available for selection. Fellow center-back Jenson Seelt saw a red card in the cup defeat, but the suspension will be for next season’s first round game instead of a Bundesliga fixture.

TSG Hoffenheim

Hoffenheim were also knocked out of the DFB-Pokal in the second round. Christian Ilzer’s side comfortably won 3-0 at the Millerntor-Stadion in the seventh matchday of the Bundesliga, but their return for the cup fixture was far from ideal.

St. Pauli eliminated Hoffenheim on penalties after scoring the equalizer in the 122nd minute. The cup exit could also ruin their momentum as they were on the right track after a difficult few weeks under the new coach.

Hoffenheim won the last two Bundesliga games by the same scoreline, 3-0, and they started the matchday in seventh place. However, their previous win at Wolfsburg was back in 2022.

Team News

Vladimír Coufal and Wouter Burger will most likely return to the lineup, while Germany U21 international Muhammed Damar hopes for a first start since the home defeat to Köln.

Predicted Lineups

Wolfsburg: Grabara; Kumbedi, Seelt, Koulierakis, Zehnter; Arnold ©, Vini Souza; Daghim, Eriksen, Wimmer; Amoura

Hoffenheim: Baumann ©; Coufal, Hranac, Hajdari, Bernardo; Burger, Avdullahu; Damar, Touré; Lemperle, Asllani