Vfl Wolfsburg Hosts Bayern Munich With Relegationsplatz 16 at Stake
VfL Wolfsburg goes into Saturday's 18:30 home match against Bayern Munich from Relegationsplatz 16 after three straight league games without defeat. The position keeps the club inside the relegation fight, and the opponent arrives with the German championship already secured.
Dieter Hecking On Bayern
Dieter Hecking said he expects a top Bayern side, not a team that has switched off after wrapping up the title. He pointed to Bayern's recent league results, including a 4:3 win at 1. FSV Mainz 05 and a 3:3 draw against Heidenheim, while also noting that the club has rotated heavily in its starting lineup.
“Ich glaube oder ich könnte glaube ich erahnen, wie Vincent Kompany denkt über das Spiel: 'Gerade jetzt müssen wir zeigen, dass wir wieder aufstehen als starke Mannschaft.' Deshalb erwarte ich zwar keine wütenden Bayern. Aber ich erwarte eine Top-Mannschaft”, Hecking said before the match.
Wolfsburg's Relegation Push
Wolfsburg's rise to Relegationsplatz 16 came after the three-match unbeaten run, giving the club a little more room than it had before Saturday. Hecking said that renewed confidence has reached players who had looked downcast earlier, and he wants that shift to hold through the Bayern game.
He also dismissed any attempt to guess Bayern's lineup. “Es ist müßig, darüber zu spekulieren, mit welcher Aufstellung die Bayern spielen werden. Wenn man die C- und die B-Elf nimmt - wenn man das überhaupt so titulieren darf bei deren Kader: Ich würde auch die C- und die B-Spieler nehmen. Die würden uns auch schon helfen.”
That leaves Wolfsburg preparing for a title-winning opponent that may still carry enough depth to punish mistakes. For a side sitting 16th, the task is simple in shape and difficult in execution: protect the point gain from the last three league matches and make Saturday count.
Saturday At 18:30
The timing matters because this is Wolfsburg's chance to use home ground against a Bayern side that has already shifted into a different phase of the season. Hecking's warning was plain: he does not expect angry Bayern, but he does expect a top team.
That is the pressure point for Wolfsburg. A draw or better would keep the recent run alive against the most demanding opponent on the schedule, while a poor result would put the club back in the fight it has been trying to escape. The match at 18:30 is the next test of whether the new confidence lasts against a champion.
