It has been a yo-yo season for Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, who have struggled to stay out of the relegation zone for much of the season, despite possessing one of the most star-studded squads in the league, with names such as Mario Gomez, Ricardo Rodriguez, Luis Gustavo and Jakub Blaszczykowski making up the teamsheet week in, week out.
It hasn’t all been bad for Wolfsburg - they have produced inspiring wins over top four hopefuls RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt and Hoffenheim, but the good times have been largely overshadowed by lacklustre results against the likes of SV Daarmstadt 98, FC Ingolstadt and Werder Bremen.
While relegation looked a real possibility with the halfway mark of the 2016/17 season approaching, with the club having won just two of their opening 14 games, a run of three consecutive victories in December and January saw Valerien Ismael’s side climb as high as 12th. However, a run of four defeats in the five games that followed put them right back among those fighting to avoid the drop.
Their situation has since improved, having taken seven points from their last three games, and the prospect of automatic relegation seems unlikely. However, they currently sit just two points above 16th placed Hamburger SV and are in real danger of finishing in the relegation play-off spot, which would see them face a top 2. Bundesliga side to determine whether they keep their place in the top flight. On paper, you would back Wolfsburg to beat any second tier side, but given their form this term, even the worst of results wouldn’t come as much of a shock.
Although, their next fixture offers the club a shining light. Should they keep their impressive run going when they visit Bayer Leverkusen following the international break, they could climb as high as 11th, should results go their way. However, the issue with Wolfsburg is that you never quite know which side is going to turn up.
The Bundesliga club have yet to go more than three matches without suffering defeat so far this season, which will be music to the ears of Bayer Leverkusen manager Tayfun Korkut. The 11th placed club have had a similarly inconsistent season and have slid down the table in recent weeks, having lost three and drawn one of their last four matches. Yet, they will be confident that they can get a result against Wolfsburg.
Leverkusen’s position in the table appears to be safe, but, given that just four points separate them from 16th place Hamburg, it is incredibly deceiving. Both sides will know what’s at stake here and both will be confident that this is one that we can win. Yet, given the inconsistencies of both sides, it’s one that could go either way and the results for the losing team could be devastating.