The U17 Wolves face one final challenge in the main round of the DFB Youth League before attention turns to the German championship knockout stage. To wrap things up, FC Schalke 04 visit the AOK Stadion on Saturday (13:00).
Strong form in the second half of the season
The VfL youngsters can approach their final task without much pressure. With last weekend’s hard-fought 1-0 win at Energie Cottbus, head coach Yannic Thiel’s side have already secured fourth place and with it a ticket to the next round – no changes up or down the table are possible on the final matchday.
Overall, VfL now hold a balanced record of three wins, three draws and three defeats in the main round. What stands out most is the team’s development: after collecting just two points from the first five matches, they turned things around in the second half of the campaign with three wins and one draw. “We’ve made very good progress in the second half of the season. You can see that the work from the first half is increasingly paying off – both in the way we play with the ball and in our intensity out of possession,” said head coach Thiel.
“Heading into the round of 16 with a good feeling”
Now FC Schalke 04 present “a demanding challenge” to close out the main round. The Royal Blues travel to Wolfsburg as current leaders of Group C and are locked in a long-distance battle with VfL Bochum, who face Hertha BSC at the same time, for top spot in the group.
In the first half of the season, Schalke secured a 2-1 win over the Wolves despite being a man down. The objective for the final main-round clash is clear: “We want to finish the second half of the season successfully and head into the round of 16 with a good feeling.”
