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THE FACTS
When is Wolfsburg vs Hertha Berlin on and what time does it start? Wolfsburg vs Hertha Berlin will take place on Saturday 27th May, 2023 – 14:30 (UK)
Where can I get tickets for Wolfsburg vs Hertha Berlin? Visit each club’s official website for the latest ticket information
What channel is Wolfsburg vs Hertha Berlin on in the UK? Sky Sports have the rights to German Bundesliga matches in the UK so it is worth checking their schedule for Wolfsburg vs Hertha Berlin
Where can I stream Wolfsburg vs Hertha Berlin in the UK? If televised on Sky Sports, Wolfsburg vs Hertha Berlincan be streamed live on the Sky Go app
THE LOWDOWN
WOLFSBURG
Wolfsburg were the first team in action in the 33rd round of Bundesliga fixtures, but by the end of the round, were counting the cost of defeat away to Freiburg in regards to their hopes of qualifying for Europe next season. That loss sees them come into this final game of the campaign needing to leapfrog Bayer Leverkusen in order to finish in sixth-place and seal a place in Europe. Three points here against Hertha Berlin will give themselves the best possible chance of that happening and preferably by a significant margin for the sake of their goal difference, which may wind up proving the deciding factor.
Although Wolfsburg did a good job frustrating Freiburg, digging in and not allowing themselves to be broken down easily, it was always going to be hard for Wolfsburg to keep them out over 90 minutes away from home. Eventually, it was Freiburg who broke the deadlock in the 71st minute, Christian Streich’s side taking the lead through namesake Christian Gunter. Wolfsburg’s awful few minutes continued as Freiburg doubled their lead on 75 minutes, Nils Petersen getting on the scoresheet.
HERTHA BERLIN
Hertha Berlin were relegated in heart-breaking fashion last weekend, conceding a late equaliser against Bochum, which sealed their fate with a game to spare. They’ve spent ten consecutive seasons in the top flight since winning the 2. Bundesliga back in the 2012-2013 campaign, but will return to the second tier of German football in the 2023-24 campaign, an awful development for a club of their size. Ultimately though, the writing was on the wall after only staying up last year through winning the relegation play-off against Hamburg under the temporary command of Felix Magath.
After taking the lead after 63 minutes through Lucas Tousart, it looked as if they would take their fight against the drop to the final weekend of fixtures. Alas, Bochum had other ideas and after poor marking from a corner, the unmarked Keven Schlotterbeck headed home in the fourth minute of added time for the visiting side, salvaging a precious point for them and stunning Hertha Berlin in the process, finally consign them to the drop in front of 70k fans at the Olympiastadion.
THE TEAM NEWS
WOLFSBURG
As it stands, Wolfsburg are set to be without three players for this their final encounter of the season. French centre-back Maxence Lacroix is nursing a shoulder injury, whilst forward Lukas Nmecha’s knee injury keeps him out. Younger brother Felix Nmecha though, is expected to feature within the starting line-up, but Paulo Otavio misses out with an ankle problem.
PREDICTED XI (3-5-2): Casteels; Bornauw, Guilavogui, Van de Ven; Baku, F. Nmecha, Arnold, Svanberg, Kaminski; Wimmer, Wind
UNAVAILABLE: Lacroix (shoulder), L. Nmecha (knee), Otavio (ankle)
QUESTIONABLE:
HERTHA BERLIN
A concussion is expected to keep Filip Uremovic out of action, whilst Max Mitterstadt is out through suspension. Kevin-Prince Boateng, Marton Dardai and Kelian Nsona are all injured and won’t feature at Wolfsburg either. The likelihood is that the visitors will set up in their favoured 4-2-3-1 formation with Ngankam leading the line whilst Lukebakio, Jovetic and Richter play just behind him.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Christensen; Pekarik, Rogel, Kempf, Plattenhardt; Tousart, Serdar; Lukebakio, Jovetic, Richter; Ngankam
UNAVAILABLE: Boateng (Injured), Cigerci (Injured), M. Dardai (Injured), Mittelstadt (Suspended), Nsona (Injured), Uremovic (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: Kanga (Injured)
THE PREDICTION
All the motivation has likely been drained out of Hertha Berlin following their relegation and it cannot be underestimated how much it would have affected the players both mentally and physically throughout the week and leading up to this match. Wolfsburg should be in a position to take advantage here, particularly with home advantage in their favour, so consider backing Wolfsburg to comfortably triumph over Hertha.
TIP: WOLFSBURG TO WIN