Wolfsburg vs. Darmstadt preview: VfL look to move away from relegation

Wolfsburg

Wolfsburg are coming off huge back-to-back wins over Bochum and Freiburg that have nearly moved them all the way out of the relegation conversation. With games against Darmstadt, Mainz and Bayern remaining, VfL shouldn’t have many concerns left.

The focus is now to end the season on a high note before what’s likely to be a busy summer transfer window for the company club. Darmstadt present a great opportunity for the side to continue their winning streak, who are surprisingly expected to give Moritz Jenz a start in defense this weekend.

Asked about their lack of available options in defense on Thursday, Ralph Hasenhüttl said, “It’s a precarious situation. - (Cedric Zesiger) only made his first running attempts on the pitch today. We hope that we at least have him with us as an option." 

Team News

Zesiger and Aster Vranckx are questionable. Sebastiaan Bornauw is out with a suspension, while Kevin Paredes is available after taking a brutal knock in last week’s game. 

Darmstadt

Darmstadt’s season is over and fans are already thinking about what should happen with the squad as they head back to the second division. There will undoubtedly be large turnover this offseason, but it seems as if Torsten Lieberknecht has a good chance of staying in charge.

Still, the club can end the season on a high note in hopes of providing a spark to reignite another promotion push in the 2. Bundesliga. Julian Justvan could be given a chance to start in place of Luca Pfeiffer, alongside Oscar Vilhelmsson and Tim Skarke.

Lieberknecht commented, “Of course, the disappointment about the descent is great for all of us. However, we have the expectation that every single player must also have the belief of playing the season professionally to the end - starting with the game in Wolfsburg.”

Team News

The long injury list includes Fabian Holland, Fraser Hornby, Klaus Gjasula, Sebastian Polter, Clemens Riedel, Bartol Franjic, Braydon Manu and Matthias Bader. Marvin Mehlem is available once again.