It’s cup time once again on Wednesday – and once again RB Leipzig are the opponents. For some VfL fans, it might be a feeling of déjà vu.
In recent years, nothing has been as much of a tradition in the DFB Cup as the meeting between Leipzig and the Wolves. This fixture has taken place six times in total – FC Bayern Munich are the only team the Wolves have faced that often in the competition. Leipzig have also not come up against any club more often than VfL in their 13 cup campaigns since the first encounter on 29 July 2011.
Eleventh quarter-final, second against RB
The match on Wednesday is the 11th quarter-final that VfL have contested in the cup, and their record at this stage is impressive: Wolfsburg have progressed to the semis seven times. The Green-and-Whites have also faced Leipzig once before in the last eight, but on that occasion the hosts came out on top with a 2-0 victory. Of their last four DFB Cup ties at the Red Bull Arena, the Wolves have won just one. However, their most recent visit in the league offers hope, as VfL triumphed 5-1 in Leipzig in November.
Hard to call
It’s tough to assign the favourites and underdogs in this match. While Leipzig are two-time cup winners of 2022 and 2023, Marco Rose’s side have struggled outside the cup recently, with just two wins from their last 10 games in all competitions. They’ve also had just two wins in the Bundesliga in 2025, leaving them four points ahead of the Wolves in sixth place in the table. The last time VfL made it to the final in Berlin, and won the cup, was in 2015.
Reunion with Baku
For Ridle Baku, who moved from Wolfsburg to Leipzig in January, it will be his first meeting with his former club. The right-back isn’t the only ex-Wolf, though. Marcel Schäfer, a former key player with a long history in green and white, is the current managing director at RB. After the aforementioned away win for VfL, it’s Schäfer’s second encounter as an opponent. There won’t be a third reunion, however, as midfielder Xaver Schlager is ruled out of the game because of a knee problem. As well as the Austrian, Yussuf Poulsen, Antonio Nusa, Benjamin Henrichs and Assan Ouedraogo are also unavailable for the home side, while Christoph Baumgartner is doubtful. The Green-and-Whites are without captain Maximilian Arnold, Kamil Grabara, Lukas Nmecha and long-term absentees Kevin Paredes, Bartosz Bialek, Lovro Majer and Rogerio.
