Wolfsburg vs Borussia Dortmund Predictions, Betting Tips, & Match Preview

Borussia Dortmund pushed themselves back on track in the Bundesliga after a second consecutive competitive 6-0 win last weekend. Though many of Dortmund’s “star cast” were presumably rested against Darmstadt (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mario Götze, and Marc Bartra were all bench warmers) ahead of this important mid-week fixture, the BVB were still more than capable of running the show without them. Gonzalo Castro and 18-year old American winger Christian Pulisic were both notable contenders for man-of-the-match, dominating the midfield and taking away three goals and three assists from Dortmund’s six goal haul between them. Whether the young American winger will hold his starting position against Wolfsburg with the return of “ex-Wolfsburg” winger Andre Schurrle is a question only coach Thomas Tuchel can answer.

Last season was something of an anomaly for the 2014/2015 Bundesliga runners up: Wolfsburg managed their best ever year in European competition, qualifying through to the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League to face Real Madrid, contrasted with season-long inconsistency in the Bundesliga, seeing them fail to qualify for Europe this time around after finishing 8th. Coach Dieter Hecking, who held onto his managerial position, has made some necessary transfers over the summer and clearly aims to rectify this going forward. Striker Mario Gomez, who scored 26 goals in 33 appearances for Besiktas last season and featured for Germany in the Euros this summer, has been brought in from Italian side Fiorentina. Wolfsburg are yet to score in a match where Gomez has started up front, taking away back-to-back 0-0’s over both matches. Attacking midfield Daniel Didavi, who scored on his competitive debut but is doubtful for this match, and Jakub Blaszczykowski, who featured on the right wing for the first time this season last weekend, will, however, no doubt play vital roles in re-establishing Wolfsburg as a top side.

Though we are just three matches into the new season, this match holds massive importance for both sides. Dortmund’s slip up against RB Leipzig in gameweek two means they already trail reigning champions Bayern Munich by three points, a gap they cannot afford to let grow any larger if they want to remain as title contenders. Wolfsburg, meanwhile, are unbeaten over their opening three matches and taking a point or more away from giants Borussia Dortmund would certainly make a statement on a potential return to the top four and European football again next season. Dortmund are the bookies favourites, but we feel we can find better value in the BVB than 3/4 on the full time win. Dortmund are clearly not a side that sit back and shut down on a 1-0 or 2-0 lead, coming into this off the back of two 6-0 wins. Meanwhile, though the hosts haven’t scored in their last two Bundesliga matches, Wolfsburg haven’t failed to score against Dortmund in any of their last five meetings, including during their awful 2015/2016 campaign, and with the home advantage, we expect they should be able to get at least one here.

Dortmund against Wolfsburg has not failed to be an exciting affair for the neutral fan in recent records (see statistics) and, as such, Dortmund to win and over 2.5 goals at 7/5 and Borussia Dortmund to win 3-1 at 12/1 with bet365 are our choice bets for this match.