Return to Wolfsburg: "We can determine our own destiny" | OneFootball

Scenario With 45 points, Borussia Dortmund are second in the table behind FC Bayern (51 points) and three points ahead of third-placed Hoffenheim. BVB suffered their only defeat of the season away at Bayern in October. "The table looks good. We can be very satisfied. But the teams behind us will do everything they can to catch up with us. We have to keep working and can't rest on our laurels," warns BVB coach Niko Kovac. He has called on his team to focus on themselves because: "We can determine our own destiny and ensure that the others don't catch up with us." Wolfsburg are 14th in the table on 19 points, just one point above the relegation zone, and have lost their last two Bundesliga matches (0-1 against Köln, 1-3 against Mainz).

Personnel matters BVB will have to do without Marcel Sabitzer and Filippo Mane on Saturday. Sabitzer continues to struggle with calf problems, while Mane has suffered a muscle injury. "It will take a while. I'm expecting about four to six weeks," explains Kovac. Emre Can is once again having problems with his adductors, as he did earlier in the season. They are currently receiving support from the youth team, with Luca Reggiani, Samuele Inacio (both Italy U17s) and Mathis Albert (USA U18) joining team training on Thursday. "We will be doing this more and more in the coming weeks," said Kovac. "There is a reason the three of them are playing for BVB. The boys are internationals at youth level, so they have quality."

Opponent Wolfsburg have won only five times this season, drawing four times and suffering 11 defeats. If Bremen and Mainz pick up points this weekend, Wolfsburg will slip into the relegation play-off spot if they lose to BVB. However, Niko Kovac warns that "19 points do not reflect the quality of this team," recalling their narrow 0-1 defeat against Köln last weekend. "In the game against Köln, they had a great second half and they should have won. The team has a lot of quality."

From green and white to Black & Yellow It has been a while since BVB last lost to VfL in the Bundesliga. Back in November 2022, the Wolves won 2-0. Felix Nmecha and Niko Kovac were both there, but both were still wearing green and white at the time. Kovac was head coach of Wolfsburg from 2022 to 2024, while Felix Nmecha played for Wolfsburg from 2021 to 2023. Incidentally, another Nmecha was responsible for the 2-0 scoreline back in November 2022 as Felix's brother Lukas (at VfL from 2021 to 2025) scored in injury time. Since that game, however, Borussia have been unbeaten against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, recording five wins and one draw with a goal difference of 16-2.

Nina Bargel-Neuhaus