Preview: Wolfsburg vs Borussia Dortmund - prediction, team news, lineups

With Borussia Dortmund given renewed hope in the Bundesliga title race, securing a win against hosts Wolfsburg at Volkswagen Arena on Saturday will be vital if they are to seriously challenge Bayern Munich.

The Wolves are 14th with 19 points, whereas BVB are second with 45 points following their 3-2 success against Heidenheim on February 1, and they are six points behind league-leaders Bayern.

Match preview

Wolfsburg lost 1-0 against FC Koln on January 30, and they have now netted just two goals in three games, with the club scoring one or fewer goals in four of their last five outings.

Failure to keep a clean sheet on the weekend would be the 14th consecutive match that Daniel Bauer's side have conceded in.

The hosts are only one point above 16th-placed Mainz 05, who occupy the Bundesliga's relegation playoff spot, and it would not be surprising if they soon found themselves in the bottom three given five of their next eight league matches come against the current top six.

Wolfsburg have won one, drawn one and lost four of their past six games, and they conceded 18 goals in that time.

The Wolves deserve credit for coming away from their last four fixtures at home with two victories and one stalemate, though they did lose eight and draw seven of their prior 15 clashes at Volkswagen Arena.

Dortmund came back from a 2-1 deficit at the interval to lead 3-2 against Heidenheim with just over 20 minutes of play remaining, and that was the fifth consecutive match that they scored three goals in.

Bayern have dropped five points in their last two games, while BVB took six points from six in that time, and the title is by no means beyond them given they host the Bavarians at the end of February.

Boss Niko Kovac guided the visitors to a 1-0 triumph against Wolfsburg in September 2025. their fifth win in seven clashes against their hosts, and it was also their seventh game in a row they avoided defeat against the Wolves.

Though Black and Yellow have been beaten in two of their four most recent contests, both losses were in the Champions League, whereas they are hoping to extend their current four-match winning streak in the Bundesliga.

Dortmund are undefeated in their last six clashes on the road in the league, a period in which they won three times, and their only loss in their 10 top-flight games away from home this term came against Bayern in October.

Wolfsburg Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

Team News

Wolfsburg will have to contend with the absences of numerous stars, including defenders Cleiton, Moritz Jenz, Joakim Maehle and Rogerio.

With so many players ruled out at the back, there is little reason to doubt the inclusion of Sael Kumbedi, Denis Vavro, Konstantinos Koulierakis and Aaron Zehnter in the Wolves' four-man defence.

Dortmund's squad is comparatively healthy, though centre-back Emre Can is a doubt due to illness, so perhaps Niklas Sule, Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck will feature on Saturday.

Jobe Bellingham may start in a double pivot next to Felix Nmecha, especially as Marcel Sabitzer is still struggling with a calf issue.

Striker Serhou Guirassy netted twice against Heidenheim, and he will hope that forwards Maximilian Beier and Julian Brandt can supply him with chances on the weekend.

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:

Grabara; Kumbedi, Vavro, Koulierakis, Zehnter; Gerhardt, Arnold; Eriksen, Majer, Amoura; Pejcinovic

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Sule, Anton, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson; Beier, Brandt; Guirassy