Bundesliga: Wolfsburg vs. RB Leipzig Preview, Odds, Prediction

Two Champions League clubs meet in Bundesliga‘s derby – Wolfsburg vs. RB Leipzig. This is one of the more interesting matches in this round, and it’s no wonder why the league heads decided to close the day with it. Both teams have problems with injured players, but that won’t affect the intensity of play or teams’ ambitions because a win is a must for either Wolves or Bulls. Their results in recent times haven’t been consistent, but overall they haven’t disappointed. 

Preview

Wolfsburg (+250) has two wins in a row, both in Bundesliga, defeating Bochum at home, 1-0, and after that Hertha in Berlin, 1-2, which was a major boost before this event. The Wolves learned their UCL rivals on Thursday, and a group with Seville, Lille and RB Salzburg looks promising for the 2009 Bundesliga champions. 

Their results during the prep period were disastrous, with just one win in six games, at the start of the preseason. After that, Mark Van Bommel’s unit went on to lose six consecutive matches, including the shocking elimination from the German Cup. Preussen Munster was better 2-0, making one of the biggest sensations of the first round. 

As for the efficiency, four of the past five games were with 2 or 3 goals, and overall, that is the only pattern we found in Wolfsburg’s recent games.

RB Leipzig (+110) suffered a lot of changes this summer, with Julian Nagelsmann leaving, as well as the center-back duo Konate-Upamecano. Losing these three guys is a major blow for the Bulls, who did get solid replacements, yet all that needs to settle down and click.

After winning in German Cup, eliminating Sandhausen on the road, 0-4, Leipzig was defeated in the Bundesliga opener in Mainz, 1-0. However, they would bounce back with a powerful performance against Stuttgart, trashing the rivals 4-0 in the first home match of the campaign. 

As you see, all three games were with just one side scoring, but that doesn’t have to mean anything because inconsistency is RB’s trademark.

Latest News

Luca Waldschmidt won’t be available after he arrived from Benfica. William is out, the same as Bartosz Bialek and Paulo Otavio. Weghorst is ill, and the chances for his appearance are minimal, which is a great blow for the Wolves. Mbabu is questionable.

Angelino isn’t in the protocol for this match. Halstenberg and Henrichs are out too, as Sarachi. Sabitzer and Laimer are questionable, but they should appear at least on the bench.

Head to Head Matches

These teams met three times in the 2020/21 campaign. The first match was in Wolfsburg, and it ended without winners, 2-2. RB posted a win at home, 2-0, in the German Cup, and the second Bundesliga leg, also in Leipzig, saw the same result as the first one, 2-2. 

Prediction

Wolfsburg plays tough and competitive football, something that RB usually does when they get outside Leipzig. They focused on counter-attacks under Nagelsmann, and that recipe will be the same under Jesse March. That is why we see a moderate efficiency on Sunday night, meaning 2 or 3 goals with the odds at +105 for that pick. If you want a full-time result, we are leaning towards RB’s victory, because the hosts have too many injured players.

Pick: Moderate efficiency 2 or 3 goals, +105