Preview: Hemelingen vs Wolfsburg - prediction, team news, lineups

With a place in the second round of the DFB-Pokal at stake, visitors Wolfsburg will hope to avoid embarrassment when they take on amateur side Hemelingen on Saturday at Weserstadion.

Hemelingen are in the fifth tier of German football and qualified for the DFB-Pokal after winning the Bremen Cup in May, while Wolfsburg finished 11th in the Bundesliga in 2024-25 and Saturday's game will be Paul Simonis's first competitive outing as boss.

Match preview

Hemelingen will be competing in the DFB-Pokal for the first time in their history, having previously only participated in regional tournaments.

The club were on the verge of promotion last season after finishing first in the Bremen-Liga, but they failed to win a subsequent promotion playoff tie against Heider SV in June.

Boss Feyhat Tuncel's side are currently third in the fifth tier with three points after one matchweek, though they have a game in hand on the two teams above them.

Their 6-0 victory against Sebaldsbruck on August 9 was their first win in four fixtures, losing one and drawing two in that time, and they failed to score twice while having conceded six goals.

Hemelingen's triumph was also their first win at home in three competitive games, though they did win their previous 11 at Weserstadion.

Wolfsburg's 2024-25 campaign was disappointing, as while their points tally of 43 was six more than they totalled in 2023-24, it was still six fewer than they managed in 2022-23.

Ralph Hasenhuttl was in charge of the club until early May, when he was sacked following a 4-0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund, the eighth consecutive game that Saturday's visitors failed to win.

Simonis's side reached the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal last season, losing 1-0 against RB Leipzig in February, and they did beat two top-flight teams in the second (Borussia Dortmund) and third (Hoffenheim) rounds.

The Wolves have played five friendlies in their preparation for 2025-26, and they head to Weserstadion having been defeated in each of their past four, conceding nine times while scoring once in those losses.

Though Wolfsburg won 1-0 against Borussia Monchengladbach on May 17 in their final away outing of 2024-25, they lost three and were held to one stalemate in their prior four matches on their travels.

Hemelingen form (all competitions):

Wolfsburg friendly form:

Team News

Perhaps the hosts will start goalkeeper Marcel Pfarr behind a back three consisting of Henning Prusse, Dean Hannawald and Florent Berisha.

Midfielders Bob-Ignatius Adeh, Abdulla Genaev and Kerem Sahan are candidates to play behind strikers Cyril-Jeniour Ekweh and Radin Amadou.

Wolfsburg could look to give starts to a number of first-team stars, including defenders Denis Vavro and Konstantinos Koulierakis.

Maximilian Arnold was a regular in midfield in 2024-25, and he may be joined in a double pivot by summer signing Vinicius Souza.

Centre-forward Mohamed El Amine Amoura can be pencilled into the starting lineup, while wingers Patrick Wimmer and Andreas Skov Olsen will want to make good impressions on Simonis.

Hemelingen possible starting lineup:

Pfarr; Prusse, Hannawald, Berisha; Nouwame, Adeh, Genaev, Sahan, Bauhus; Ekweh, Amadou

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:

Grabara; Fischer, Vavro, Koulierakis, Maehle; Vinicius, Arnold; Wimmer, Majer, Olsen; Amoura

We say: Hemelingen 0-3 Wolfsburg

The arrival of Werner could give Wolfsburg the boost they need to have a strong season, and they are likely to start their 2025-26 campaign with a win.

Hemelingen have no experience in the DFB-Pokal, and though Saturday's match is certain to be a special occasion, the chances of beating their Bundesliga opponents are slim.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.