Bochum vs Wolfsburg prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-04-21 13:30.
Bochum took another step towards Bundesliga safety with a surprising 1-1 draw against a ten-man Union Berlin, and they were actually unfortunate not to win that game given their superior xG (1.73 to 1.41), possession count (56%) and goal attempts (14). Posting those impressive numbers against a top-four opponent should inspire confidence, which they need considering they’re winless in three games (D2, L1).
The Bundesliga are billing this as the “tightest relegation battle of all time” with six sides under the microscope for survival. Bochum are three points above the drop zone but with the sides directly above and below them playing on Friday, Thomas Letsch’s men may well need to improve on some rotten recent home form (W1, L4) to leapfrog either of those teams come the end of the round.
Whilst a goalless draw against Leverkusen last weekend did little to aid Wolfsburg’s hopes of a European finish, they were blessed by the fact that only three of the 18 Bundesliga sides picked up maximum points in the previous round. Just four points shy of the top six, Niko Kovač’s immediate concern is to close the gap by extending his own perfect record against Bochum (W2).
Playing away from home shouldn’t faze the Wolves too much as they’ve kept three clean sheets across their previous four trips (W2, D1, L1), though standing in their way is a four-game winless period at the Ruhrstadion since 2006 (D2, L2). This could be a perfect opportunity to end that poor run as Wolfsburg have kept five clean sheets from six league meetings with current bottom four opponents this season (W4, D2), whilst scoring 13 times in the process.
Players to watch: Bochum’s Kevin Stöger has confidently dispatched a penalty in each of his last two appearances, meaning he has not missed a spot kick since 2017/18! One man who knows all about fluffing his lines is Maximilian Arnold, who missed a penalty, scored an own goal and assisted in the last game that Wolfsburg actually found the net (D1, L1 since).
Hot stat: Only Bayern Munich (15 times) have scored in both halves more often than Wolfsburg’s 13 times in the Bundesliga this season (46%).