VfL Bochum vs VfL Wolfsburg preview: Winless runs must end
Bochum
After spending most of the 2023-24 season battling relegation, Bochum appear set to face similar challenges this term unless they can string together a crucial run of positive league results.
Five games into the season, Die Unabsteigbaren have secured just one point, which came in a 2-2 draw against newly promoted Holstein Kiel two weeks ago — the only other team in the league yet to claim a win this season.
Bochum's single point after five matches marks their second-worst start in a top-flight season. Out of their 37 previous Bundesliga campaigns, Bochum only had a worse record in the 2022-23 season.
Excluding newly promoted and relegated teams, Peter Zeidler's side has earned the fewest points in the Bundesliga in 2024 (18), while also conceding the most goals out of any team in the Bundesliga during this period in 52.
Team News
Bochum may be without Monaco loanee Myron Boadu for this match, as the Dutch striker is reportedly dealing with an illness following their 4-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund last week.
Boadu will join Ivan Ordets (shoulder), Ibrahima Sissoko (thigh), and Bernardo on the sidelines, all of whom are ruled out due to injury.
Wolfsburg
While Wolfsburg boast a stronger overall record in this fixture, they have only managed one win in their last five visits to the Ruhrstadion, with two losses and two draws, including a 3-1 defeat in December last year.
Despite showing resilience this season, Die Wölfe have struggled to convert their efforts into points. They suffered a 3-2 loss to Bayern München and a 4-3 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, both games in which they had held the lead at some stage.
Finishing games has been a key problem for Ralph Hasenhuttl's side. In addition to surrendering leads against Leverkusen and Bayern, they let slip a point against Eintracht Frankfurt and dropped two more in last week's draw with a 10-man Stuttgart.
On the upside, Wolfsburg have found the back of the net in every league game so far, with their tally of 10 goals surpassing third-placed Leipzig by two and currently ranking as the joint fourth-highest in the Bundesliga.
Team News
Wolfsburg are suffering from somewhat of a significant injury crisis, with up to eight players potentially unavailable for this weekend's game. On top of this, Yannick Gerhardt is also sidelined due to suspension.
Among the injured for the visitors are Lukas Nmecha, Rogerio, Kevin Paredes, Bartosz Bialek, Lovro Majer, Patrick Wimmer, Mattias Svanberg, and Kilian Fischer.