Stadium: Volkswagen Arena (Wolfsburg)
Wolfsburg will play against Bochum in the first round of the German Bundesliga. The future competitor in the Champions League group stage will face a newcomer to the German elite division. Naturally, Wolfsburg is the logical favorite to win the game. The opponents are difficult to compare in terms of financial and personnel capabilities.
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg has won only 1 out of 6 friendly matches in the last offseason. Not a very pleasant statistics, which, however, will be erased by a good start in the national championship. "The Wolves" beat only Erzgebirge Aue, having lost to Hansa, Holstein, Lyonnais, Monaco, and Atlético. In the first round of the German Cup, Wolfsburg defeated unremarkable Preußen Münster not without difficulty. Brekalo leveled only in the 90th minute, thanks to Mbabu's pass. Weghorst and Baku each scored in extra time.
Note that Wolfsburg has a new coach, van Bommel. Oliver Glasner terminated his contract with the "wolves" and left to coach Eintracht. A strange decision, given that the Austrian improved the "wolves'" game. Wolfsburg achieved success, winning a place in the Champions League, and they got money for newcomers. It is difficult to call this transfer a promotion, Eintracht has ambitions, but they are hardly higher than those of Wolfsburg.
Bochum
Bochum also had to play extra time against Wuppertal in the first round of the German Cup. Like Wolfsburg, Bochum achieved a strong victory in the second most important tournament of German football. In friendly matches before the start of the championship, Bochum defeated Bonner, was stronger than Borussia Dortmund and Parma but lost to Utrecht and Vitesse. In terms of squad Greuther Fürth is stronger than Bochum. And they are also newcomers to the elite. At the same time, Bochum has 30 players, more than Bayern Munich, Gladbach, and Bayer. The club has several newcomers at once, but no one signed a contact yet with the club: all loaned and free agents. It shows that the managers are very frugal with their money.
The Injured and Disqualified
- Wolfsburg: Otávio, João Victor, Vranckx, Białek won't play
- Bochum: Hartwig, Novothny, Löwen, Grave won't play, Bockhorn is questioned
Expert Betting Tips
Bochum is a dark horse. In recent times, well-prepared teams came from the 2.Bundesliga, however, "Bochum" has not played in the elite for a very long time, so we will see. At the same time, Wolfsburg, despite the change of coach, is an experienced team, which has high goals for the 2021/22 season, specifically, to win a place in the top 4. And to match the ambitions, the newcomers to the elite, and even at home, must be beaten with the maximum difference. Here are our bets for the match: Handicap 1 (-1.5) for 2.49, Individual Total 1 Over (2) for 1.99, Handicap 1 (-1) for 1.91.