First Team

Can VfL stop Bayern?

The facts on the away match in Munich.

Der VfL Wolfsburg-Spieler Maximilian Arnold im Zweikampf um den Ball.

FC Bayern already laid down a marker in the opening match of the Bundesliga season with a comfortable 6-1 win at Europe League winners Eintracht Frankfurt. The Wolves began their league campaign with a 2-2 draw at home to Werder Bremen.

Facts and figures on the fixture

  • High-scoring affairs: Recent clashes between Bayern and Wolfsburg have produced lots of goals – an average of over three per game, to be precise. In fact, since the 0-0 draw in May 2008, the Munich side have scored in all of their last 27 league meetings with the Green-and-Whites (78 goals in total).

  • Strong hosts: FCB have won over 90 percent of their home matches against VfL. Among them are a few big wins, including the 5-0 success in the first half of the 2016/17 season. In all, the Bavarians have never lost to the Lower Saxony men on home soil in 24 Bundesliga games to date (W22 D2). No other team in Bundesliga history has played another at home so often without ever losing. 

  • One-sided record: The Wolves have lost 14 of their last 16 meetings with Bayern, drawing the other two. Six of those defeats were by a margin of four or more goals. 

  • Without serial goalscorer: The Green-and-Whites were one of Robert Lewandowski’s favourite opponents during his eight years at Bayern, with the Pole scoring against VfL no fewer than 26 times. The goal-getter moved to Barcelona earlier this summer. 

  • Reunion: VfL head coach Niko Kovac was in charge at Bayern from July 2018 to November 2019, where he won the league and cup double during his first season as well as the DFL Supercup.