Out-of-sorts Wolfsburg look to halt Bayern’s red-hot run of form…

Kick-Off: Saturday, February 6, 2010, 15:30 CET
Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany

Guess Who’s Baaack

One needs only to look back to late August to recall Bayern Munich’s full potential. At that time, the team was still in its developmental stages, trying to scrape past opponents by any means necessary. Then, at the half, Arjen Robben made his debut in a red shirt. Less than 20 minutes later, Franck Ribery made his return from injury. Ahead 1-0 at the time, Bayern then switched to a 4-3-3 formation with “Robbery” supporting centre forward Mario Gomez. The wingers twice combined to produce beautiful goals, perfectly playing the counterattack with a combination of precision, pace, intelligent running, and seemingly telepathic communication. In the end, a 3-0 result was earned for a team that, on the whole, was not in form.

Flashing forward nearly half a year, Bayern have won their last nine matches in all competitions, and as a team, are in otherworldly form. During their winning streak, Bayern have outscored opponents by 28-7, and might have had an even more impressive record if not for some questionable finishing in recent matches.

Now with the whole team firing on all cylinders, Bayern head to Wolfsburg as one of world football’s hottest teams. Known for their use of width and the counterattack, Bayern’s tactical approach should be ideal for facing a Wolfsburg side that plays with a more narrow 4-3-1-2 formation and that has struggled defensively.

Once again, Ribery will likely start on the bench, but the Frenchman is likely to come on as a substitute at the start of the second half. As usual, Bayern will surely line up in Louis van Gaal’s 4-4-2 formation and look to use right-sided duo Robben and Philipp Lahm as catalysts for a very forward-minded game. If the game is played at all similarly to the Werder Bremen match, Bayern’s score could even go into the double digits…

Injured Wolfe

A year ago, a resolute Wolfsburg tore through the league rankings, soaring ever upward to a surprise, first-ever Bundesliga title. Led by breakout stars Zvjezdan Misimovic (18 assists), Edin Dzeko (26 goals), and Grafite (28 goals), Wolfsburg’s attack was utterly dominant, scoring 80 goals in just 34 matches. At the other end of the pitch, Wolfsburg allowed just 41 goals, a record that was joint third in the league. In May, one could have argued that Wolfsburg, based on form, were among the top five teams in Europe. And then coach Felix Magath left for Schalke.

Since summer, the Wolfsburg of old has disappeared: since Bosnia’s failure to qualify for the World Cup, Misimovic has been in a dearth of form, and Grafite has looked a shadow of his former self. Only Dzeko (9 goals, 5 assists) has achieved somewhat consistent form, but even he has not quite lived up to his potential.

If attack has been a problem, defense has been a nightmare. No team has allowed more goals (39) than Wolfsburg, who have retained their entire back line from the previous season.

There may, however, be a silver lining. Armin Veh, who had replaced Magath in the summer, was finally sacked last Monday. Lorenz-Guenther Koestner, who has spent most of his career coaching in the lower divisions, has replaced Veh on an interim basis, and there are hopes that the ex-M’gladbach player will turn around his team’s season. Some might call it the result of luck, but Wolfsburg held Hamburg scoreless until the final seconds of last week’s 1-1 draw with attackingly potent Hamburg. If Wolfsburg are able to employ the defense and counterattack-based strategies that worked under Magath, they just might be the first team in more than two months to take points from in-form Bayern..

FORM GUIDE

Wolfsburg
29 Jan v Hamburg (A) DREW 1-1 (Bundesliga)
24 Jan v Koeln (H) LOST 2-3 (Bundesliga)
16 Jan v Stuttgart (A) LOST 3-1 (Bundesliga)
19 Dec v Eintracht Frankfurt (A) DREW 2-2 (Bundesliga)
13 Dec v Borussia Dortmund (H) LOST 1-3 (Bundesliga)

Bayern Munich
30 Jan v Mainz (H) WON 3-0 (Bundesliga)
26 Jan v Ingolstadt (A) WON 2-0 (Friendly)
23 Jan v Werder Bremen (A) WON 3-2 (Bundesliga)
15 Jan v Hoffenheim (H) WON 2-0 (Bundesliga)
12 Jan v Basel (A) WON 3-1 (Friendly)

TEAM NEWS

Wolfsburg

New coach Lorenz-Guenther Koestner should have available a nearly full first team. Goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, who is recovering from a knee operation, is definitely out, and new signing Rever is also unavailable.

Possible Starting XI: Lenz – Riether, Madlung, Barzagli, Schaefer – Hasebe, Josue, Gentner – Misimovic – Dzeko, Grafite

Bayern Munich

Louis van Gaal should have a nearly full squad of players to choose from, although Franck Ribery, who is not quite fit for 90 minutes, is likely to start on the bench once again. Andreas Goerlitz, who has seen very limited playing time, is unavailable for selection.

Possible Starting XI: Butt – Lahm, van Buyten, Demichelis, Badstuber – Robben, van Bommel, Schweinsteiger, Mueller – Gomez, Olic

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg)

Of Wolfsburg’s set of talented individuals, the one man who has kept his form from last year is Dzeko. In what may be his last season in Germany, Dzeko has scored nine goalls and assisted five more. His combination of strength and delicate touch has turned the Bosnian, who is not entirely unlike Zlatan Ibrahimovic, into one of Europe’s most dangerous strikers.

Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)

Perhaps the league’s hottest player at the moment, Robben is truly a nightmare to defend. His incredible pace, balance, and strength make the Dutchman one of world football’s greatest athletes. Add in his precise passing, cannon-like shot and dazzling dribbling, and Robben becomes a nearly unstoppable force. Look for him to combine with Philipp Lahm and Franck Ribery as Bayern look to break forward.

PREDICTION

Wolfsburg need more time to find their form, and Bayern are far too hot to drop points this weekend. For the visitors, Wolfsburg should be easier opponents than Mainz due to the fact that their hosts play a forward-minded game. As in the Bremen match, expect Van Gaal’s men to blitz forward on the counterattack and try to put the game out of reach early on.

Wolfsburg 2-4 Bayern Munich