Still seeking their first win of the Bundesliga season, Wolfsburg welcome FC Koln to the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday.
While the Wolves' stuttering start continued with a loss at Leipzig last week, their visitors remain unbeaten and have also progressed in Europe.
Match preview
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With only two points from their first four games, Wolfsburg have matched their previous worst start to a Bundesliga season - their lowest tally for over twenty years.
At the equivalent stage of the 2001-02 campaign, when they ultimately finished in 10th place, was the last time Die Wolfe were in the same predicament, and they already have ground to make up on their fellow contenders for European qualification.
They may have enjoyed and endured many ups and downs over the intervening decades, but their problems this term have mostly rested in front of goal.
After drawing 2-2 on the opening matchday, at home to Werder Bremen, Niko Kovac's men have failed to score in their three games since. As a result, Kovac has made the slowest start to life in the Volkswagen Arena dugout of any previous manager except one - Bruno Labbadia picked up just one point from his first four games in charge.
In-between a pair of 2-0 losses to RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg were held goalless by Schalke, so they await Koln's visit having failed to find the net for approaching 300 minutes of play.
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Though they were unable to break down 10 men and score last time out, in Sunday's 0-0 draw with Stuttgart, it has been a far happier start to the 2022-23 campaign for Koln.
Still unbeaten after four league games for the first time in six years, Effzeh also retrieved a one-goal deficit in their recent Europa Conference League playoff against Fehevar to win the tie 4-2 on aggregate and progress to the forthcoming group stage.
After finishing seventh last term, to secure their shot at a continental campaign, Koln sit eighth in the early Bundesliga standings, having followed an opening day victory with three successive draws.
They have also secured safe passage to the next round of the DFB-Pokal, and with European football on the menu for the first time in five years, there is plenty to look forward to for Steffen Baumgart's side.
However, they have not traditionally fared well in Wolfsburg, and after previously collecting just 10 points from 16 away games against Saturday's hosts, they will aim to defy precedent by taking home all three this weekend.
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Team News
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Wolfsburg will once more be without Yannick Gerhardt on Saturday, while Jonas Wind remains out of action as he makes his way back from a thigh injury; Jerome Roussillon (Achilles) is also absent.
However, Niko Kovac hopes to have Patrick Wimmer (head) and Kevin Paredes (knee) available to aid the hosts' quest for a first league win.
Signed from Bologna in the summer, Matthias Svanberg is pushing for a start in midfield after being dropped following the 2-0 loss to Bayern.
Koln, meanwhile, still have Dimitris Limnios and Mark Uth unavailable due to injury, and on-loan defender Julian Chabot is also ruled out this week.
Mathias Olesen and Eric Martel both picked up knocks last time out, so Steffen Baumgart may require a reshuffle in midfield, with Dejan Ljubicic and Ondrej Duda among the candidates to step in.
Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:
Casteels; Baku, Van de Ven, Lacroix, Otavio; Guilavogui, Arnold; Kaminski, Kruse, Philipp; L. Nmecha
FC Koln possible starting lineup:
Schwabe; Schindler, Hubers, Kilian, Hector; Skhiri; Ljubicic, Duda, Kainz; Thielmann, Dietz
We say: Wolfsburg 1-1 FC Koln
Unlikely to be a high-scoring classic, given both sides' recent results in the Bundesliga, a close-fought draw could be on the cards. With their Conference League campaign kicking off next week amid the glamour of Nice, it may be that Koln take their eye off the ball and have to settle for a solitary point.
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