Preview:Wolfsburg vs FC Koln - prediction, team news, lineups

Both VfL Wolfsburg and FC Koln will be hoping that the international break has not curbed their early season momentum when the two sides meet at the Volkswagen Arena this Saturday afternoon in the Bundesliga.

Die Wolfe have picked up four points from their opening two matches, while the Billy Goats have enjoyed a perfect start to their campaign with successive wins.

Match preview

Wolfsburg have certainly embraced their mid-table reputation in recent years, finishing 12th, eighth, 12th and 11th in the past four campaigns.

The club will be looking to push on and fight for European places this term, which is a goal outlined by many top figures, including board chairman Frank Witter.

Paul Simonis, who was appointed as the new head coach in June, made a thunderous start to his new post, overseeing a 9-0 victory over lower-league side Hemelingen in the DFB-Pokal.

Die Wolfe backed that up with a solid start to their Bundesliga campaign, picking up a comfortable 3-1 victory over Heidenheim on the opening weekend.

Wolfsburg’s first home game saw the end of their winning run, but a 1-1 draw against Mainz 05 was not a terrible result – especially before the international break.

FC Koln have also made a flying start to their campaign, picking up three wins from three across all competitions.

The positive start was overseen by new head coach Lukas Kwasniok, who put pen to paper on a two-year contract after joining from SC Paderborn.

Having won the 2. Bundesliga last season, Koln’s biggest priority this term is to secure their top tier status. However, their promising start suggests that the Billy Goats may be pushing for bigger things come the end of the season.

Koln kicked off their Bundesliga return with a 1-0 win away at Mainz, backed it up with a 4-1 demolition of Freiburg, and they will now be looking for a hat-trick of victories when they take on Wolfsburg.

Wolfsburg Bundesliga form:

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Wolfsburg form (all competitions):

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FC Koln Bundesliga form:

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FC Koln form (all competitions):

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Team News

The big story from Wolfsburg is the possible inclusion of former Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen; the 33-year-old had just one training session since joining the club but could be included on the bench.

Deadline day signings Adam Daghim and Jenson Seelt could also play a part at the weekend.

In terms of injuries, the hosts are without Kevin Paredes (foot), Denis Vavro (groin) and Rogerio (muscular).

Koln snapped up Belgian winger Alessio Castro-Montes on deadline day, and the player could make his debut this weekend.

Isak Bergmann Johannesson picked up a knock during Iceland’s 2-1 defeat to France, throwing his availability into doubt.

Luca Kilian, meanwhile, has a knee injury and is expected to watch the game from the sidelines.

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup: Grabara; Fischer, Jenz, Koulierakis, Zehnter; Arnold, Vinícius; Skov Olsen, Majer, Wimmer; Amoura

FC Koln possible starting lineup: Schwabe; Sebulonsen, Van den Berg, Hubers, Lund; Martel, Huseinbasic; Thielmann, Waldschmidt, Kaminski; Bulter

We say: Wolfsburg 2-2 FC Koln

With both teams in good form and both capable of scoring goals, we should be in for an exciting league encounter.

Wolfsburg were held to a draw in their last home game, and we expect a similar outcome when a confident Koln side come to visit. A high-scoring draw is the way to go.

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