Wolfsburg host Hamburg at the Volkswagen Arena on Friday evening as the clubs meet for the 35th time.
The Wolves drew played out a 1-1 draw with Nuremberg on Saturday and have made an excellent start to the season. They currently lie fifth in the table, having not suffered a defeat since the loss to Eintracht Braunschweig on October 5th.
That loss is the only one Dieter Hecking’s men have suffered from their six home games so far, with a one hundred per cent record from the remaining five.
The manager has no new injury concerns, although Max Grün, Christian Träsch and Ja-Cheol Koo remain on the treatment table. Diego has recovered from a stomach injury but is suspended, having picked up five bookings this season.
Hecking praised the decision to hold the game on a Friday evening in his pre-match press conference: “I’m a big fan of Friday evening games; that’s pure football in my opinion.
“Floodlights, an almost-sold-out stadium and a stunning atmosphere are the perfect prerequisites for a great game.
“There’s nothing better than a win to get the weekend off to the right start.”
Meanwhile, the visitors Hamburg have had a much more difficult start to the season. Having won only two matches away from home so far, they occupy 11th place, seven points and six placesadrift of their hosts. However, they showed signs of recovery with a 3-1 victory over Hannover on Sunday.
Manager Bert van Marwijk also has no new injury concerns, but Rafael van der Vaart and Dennis Diekmeier remain sidelined.
The Red Shorts’ boss praised their opponents in the build-up to the game, saying: “This is a big challenge against a strong team.
“We showed against Leverkusen and Gladbach that we can compete.
“We need to have a good day.”
In the last five league meetings bwtween the two teams, each side has won once, playing out three draws.
A Wolfsburg win would see them go level on points with Borussia Monchengladbach, while a victory for the visitors could mean they finish the weekend in ninth, leapfrogging Stuttgart and Augsburg.