VfL boss Bauer on virus outbreak before BVB clash, Wolfsburg floored | OneFootball

Very few people in Wolfsburg would have expected such a season. After 20 match days, the team from Lower Saxony is in a disappointing 14th place. Mainz, in the relegation spot, is only one point away. And now, of all times, Borussia Dortmund, the second in the league, is visiting the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday (February 7, 3:30 PM).

The task against BVB is made more difficult by a virus affecting the Wolfsburg team. "Unfortunately, a small wave of illness has hit us, so some guys had to sit out for a few days," reveals Daniel Bauer on Thursday at the press conference before the match against the Black and Yellows. But things seem to be looking up again. "Fortunately, no one is out for the long term," emphasizes the 43-year-old head coach of VfL. "Almost everyone was back on the field today."

However, the participation of midfielder Vinicius Souza (26) and right-back Sael Kumbedi (20) is by no means certain, as they have only trained individually and are considered "doubtful for the game," as Bauer reveals. Right-winger Patrick Wimmer (24) has been struggling with muscular issues since the 0-1 loss at 1. FC Köln last Friday (January 30). "We have to see if we can take the risk for the Dortmund game," says Bauer.

Top Scorer Amoura Returns

Due to the poor league position, the team from Lower Saxony made two moves on the last day of the winter transfer window. Ghanaian international Jonas Adjetey (22) transferred from FC Basel for 9.5 million euros to the Mittelland Canal. Bayer Leverkusen loaned their central defender Jeanuel Belocian (20) to the Green-Whites. "Two exciting guys [...] who can hopefully help us in the short term," says Bauer about the two new signings.

A week after his suspension, center forward Mohammed Amoura (25) will return to the VfL squad against Dortmund. The club's top scorer (seven goals this season) was dropped from the squad for disciplinary reasons before the match in Cologne. The reaction of the 42-time Algerian international was "very, very good," praises Bauer. Amoura had "already trained well before, but this was probably his best training week since I've been head coach," he adds. "If he keeps doing this week after week, he'll bring us a lot of joy over the weekend," he warns BVB.

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