After a three-week break from league action, the VfL Wolfsburg U19s return to competitive play on Saturday, 11 April. They travel to Kiel, where head coach Niklas Bräuer’s side is aiming to pick up right where they left off. “The team is in good shape,” the coach emphasised ahead of the match. The time had been used intensively: “We’ve worked on all aspects of our game and focused on coming back together quickly as a group after the break.”
First leg not a benchmark
Even though the most recent meeting in February ended in a resounding 8-0 victory for the Green-and-Whites, that result no longer holds any relevance for those in charge. “The first leg doesn’t play a role in our thinking. We know the match on Saturday starts from scratch,” the coach made clear. Instead, he expects a well-structured opponent: “Kiel are a team that plays with a clear idea and will try to impose that style.” The approach is therefore straightforward: “We’ll go into the game with confidence and aim, as we did in the first leg, to impose ourselves and leave our mark on the match.” The U19s have already shown their quality away from home – including in a 5-0 win in Augsburg.
Dominance the key
Despite the clear starting position, Bräuer warns against complacency: “We definitely won’t underestimate the opponent. We’ve matured enough over the past few weeks for that not to happen.” The focus is instead on their own strengths. The key to success, he says, will be “to perform with authority, set the tone in the opening minutes and be dominant both in and out of possession.” Set pieces, the coach adds, are also expected to play an important role.
