Bundesliga’s Wolfsburg welcome Spanish giants Real Madrid to the Volkswagen Arena in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter finals on Wednesday.
Wolfsburg come into this tie on the back of a three-game losing streak that included defeats against relegation battlers Hoffenheim and Darmstadt. A 3-0 hammering at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen on Friday night would have done little to placate the fears of supporters as they prepare to host the 10 time European champions on Wednesday.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, are flying high after clinching a late 2-1 win over bitter rivals FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou over the weekend. They will be confident of overcoming Wolfsburg over the course of two legs and seal their place in the last four stage of the tournament.
Lineups
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg may have easily overcome Belgian club Racing Gent in the Round of 16 by beating them 4-2 on aggregate, but getting past Real Madrid would be a much bigger challenge for Dieter Hecking’s men. While Wolfsburg’s midfield lynchpin Daniel Caligiuri may feature in the manager’s plan after stepping up his recovery from a groin injury, defender Naldo will definitely miss out. The team is expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Possible Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Benaglio; Traesch, Knoche, Dante, Rodriguez; Gustavo, Guilavogui; Schurrle, Vieirinha, Draxler; Kruse.
Real Madrid
It will be interesting to see if Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane puts out the same starting XI that ended Barcelona’s 39 match unbeaten run on Saturday. Casemiro, who put in a stellar display in the middle of the park against the Catalans, is expected to start against Wolfsburg ahead of the more creative forces James Rodriguez and Isco. The back four and the front 3 are expected to remain the same as well.
Possible Starting XI (4-3-3): Navas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have won six successive games in all competitions.
- Wolfsburg have qualified for the quarter finals of the Champions League for the first time in their history
- Wolfsburg have not won a single match since they qualified for the quarter finals.
- Wolfsburg have won all four matches that they have contested in Europe at the Volkswagen Arena.
- Real Madrid have kept a clean sheet in seven of their eight Champions League games this season.
Prediction
Wolfsburg 1-2 Real Madrid
With Wolfsburg in terrible form and Real Madrid flying high, there is only one probable outcome of the two legged tie. However, Wolfsburg are unbeaten at home during the current European campaign and will give it their all against the Spanish giants in a late bid to salvage their season. But Real Madrid, buoyed by their Clasico win, will be too strong on the night and will squeak out a narrow win against their German opponents.
Odds (Betfair)
- Wolfsburg: 9/2
- Draw: 16/5
- Real Madrid: 4/6
