Four points separate VfL from Bayer Leverkusen ahead of the sides' encounter at the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday (kick-off 15:30 CET). It is not just that proximity in the table that means an "exciting game" – as Wolfsburg head coach Bruno Labbadia predicted – is in store, with the Wolves coming up against a new-look Leverkusen side following a recent change of coach. We've collated the key facts and figures ahead of this one.
- There has never been a goalless draw in 46 competitive meetings between VfL and Bayer. In fact, both teams have scored in 15 of the last 16 encounters.
- In the reverse fixture on Matchday 2, the Wolves fell behind to Leon Bailey's 24th-minute strike but fought back to win 3-1 thanks to an own-goal from goalkeeper Ramazan Özcan and second-half goals from Wout Weghorst and Renato Steffen.
- Labbadia's side are unbeaten in their last three home games, recording wins against RB Leipzig (1-0) and VfB Stuttgart (2-0) as well as a 2-2 draw against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
- Leverkusen have triumphed on their last two visits to the Volkswagen Arena, following a run of five consecutive defeats in Lower Saxony.
- Despite last weekend's defeat at Schalke 04, the Wolves' haul of 28 points from 18 matches is the fourth-best return in the club's Bundesliga history.
- Labbadia was in charge of Leverkusen in 2008/09, leading the Werkself to the DFB Cup final where they were beaten 1-0 by SV Werder Bremen.
- Peter Bosz, who took over at Leverkusen during the winter break, oversaw his first game as a Bundesliga coach at the Volkswagen Arena on the opening day of last season, his Borussia Dortmund side winning 3-0.
- Admir Mehmedi joined VfL from Leverkusen last January, having registered 13 goals and 11 assists in two-and-a-half years in North Rhine-Westphalia. Bayer's Julian Brandt joined the club from the Wolves' Under-19s in January 2014.
