Same opponent, same kick-off time, different venue: On Sunday, both VfL Wolfsburg’s U19 and U17 sides will take on the youth teams of FC Schalke 04. While the U19 Young Wolves will play at the AOK Stadion (kick-off at 11am), the U17 side travel to Gelsenkirchen (also kicking off at 11am).
Home advantage?
The start to the main round could hardly have gone better for Niklas Bräuer’s team: after four matchdays, the Young Wolves top the table with nine points. “We want to build on what we’ve done over the past few weeks. We’re in a good flow, the mood in the group is positive and we’re looking forward to the first of four consecutive home games,” says the U19 head coach. While the Royal Blues will be playing their first away match of the main round, the Young Wolves still have three more competitive home fixtures as well as a friendly to come in the weeks ahead. VfL’s juniors have already recorded convincing home wins in the main round against Borussia Dortmund (4-0) and Holstein Kiel (8-0). In addition to the return round opener against 1. FC Heidenheim, the DFB Cup semi-final against 1. FC Köln will follow shortly afterwards.
Mentality and character required
Things look very different for FC Schalke 04: they have picked up just one point from their first three games, which leaves them fifth in the table. For the U19 coach, however, that is no reason to underestimate Sunday’s opponents: “We know Norbert Elgert and how he sets up his teams. You always see mentality, character and aggressive defending.” The Green-and-Whites are preparing for an opponent that not only has individual quality but also plenty of strong characters. With a full squad available, Bräuer is expecting a “fight”: “I assume it’s going to be fiery for the full 90 minutes at the AOK Stadion. That makes it all the more important that we impose our game.”
“Our expectations are different”
Meanwhile, the U17 match comes with very different circumstances. The B-Juniors’ opening games could certainly have gone better. With two points, Yannic Thiel’s side currently sit fifth in the table. The Young Wolves are not satisfied with that. “After the last game, we addressed a number of things internally. Our expectations are different, and we know we can bring significantly more quality onto the pitch,” explains the head coach.
Schalke within reach
The Royal Blues, who sit fourth, are within touching distance – only one point separates the two teams in the table. With a win, the Green-and-Whites could not only overtake Schalke but, depending on other results, move up to second place. “An away game against Schalke is a demanding task. The key will be showing the right intensity out of possession and the necessary clarity when we have the ball,” says the U17 coach. After a defeat to VfL Bochum (1-3), two draws against Hertha BSC and Werder Bremen (both 1-1), last weekend brought another loss against Energie Cottbus (0-2). VfL’s juniors are therefore still waiting for their first win in the main round of the DFB Youth League. Thiel added: “Our goal is to push ourselves back to our performance limits as a team and reward ourselves with a win.”
