Bochum – Wolfsburg : Preview & Prediction
Bochum took another important step towards staying in the Bundesliga with a surprising draw (1-1) against a Union Berlin side that finished the match with ten men, although they were actually unlucky not to win this match after having more ball possession (56%) and shots on goal (14). Registering those impressive numbers against an opponent ranked in the Top 4 of the table should inspire confidence, something they need considering they have not won in three matches (E2, P1).
The Bundesliga announced that this is “the tightest relegation battle of all time,” with six teams fighting for survival. Bochum are three points above the relegation zone, but with their direct rivals playing on Friday, Thomas Letsch’s men may well need to improve on their recent home performance (G1, P4) to overtake any of those teams at the end of the day.
While a goalless draw against Leverkusen last weekend did little to help Wolfsburg’s hopes of finishing in European competition places, they were blessed by the fact that only three of the Bundesliga’s 18 teams picked up three points on the previous matchday. Just four units behind the top six in the table, Niko Kovač’s immediate concern is to reduce the lead by extending his own perfect record against Bochum (G2).
Playing away from home shouldn’t faze Wolves too much, as they have kept clean sheets in three of their previous four visits (G2, E1, P1), although standing in their way is a four-game winless run at the Ruhrstadion since 2006 (E2, P2). This could be a perfect opportunity to put an end to that poor run as Wolfsburg have kept six clean sheets in six league games against the bottom four in the table this season (G4, E2), scoring 13 goals in the process.
Players to watch: Bochum’s Kevin Stöger converted a penalty in each of his last two appearances, meaning he hasn’t missed a penalty since the 2017/18 campaign. One man who knows very well how to be a protagonist from all angles is Maximilian Arnold, who missed a penalty, scored an own goal and provided an assist in Wolfsburg’s last game in which Wolfsburg scored a goal (E1, P1 since).
Key stat: Only Bayern Munich (15 times) have scored in both halves more often than Wolfsburg’s 13 times in the current Bundesliga season (46 %).
Bochum – Wolfsburg : Betting Tips
BTS/YES Odds: 2.25
