Both Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen have undergone a resurgence in the second half of the season, and find themselves in a four-horse race to finish in the top-six of the Bundesliga, or perhaps even higher.

Sunday's late match pitted them against each other in a matchup which would surely play a part in determining Germany's representatives in European competitions next season.

Having surged up the table from 17th to 6th since the appointment of Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen came into the game off the back of a five-match run in which they took maximum points, culminating in last week's 3-1 defeat of Eintracht Frankfurt.

Moreover, they are into the UEFA Europa League quarter finals, and a late Florian Wirtz goal earned them a 1-1 first-leg draw against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. 

Alonso therefore made numerous changes for their trip to the Volkswagen Arena. Thursday's hero Wirtz dropped to the bench, as did Amine Adli and Jonathan Tah, while Exequiel Palacios was ruled out with back problems.

Wolfsburg, meanwhile, were disappointed to lose 2-0 at Borussia Monchengladbach in the last matchday, and in doing so break their own five-match unbeaten streak. They slipped to 9th, but still only trailed Leverkusen by four points going into the game.

Niko Kovac, who warded off interest from Tottenham last month, also made plentiful changes, with Josuha Guilavogui coming into midfield for Maximilian Arnold, while Jonas Wind returned in attack.

Story of the Match

Billed as one of the picks of the Bundesliga gameweek, the match nevertheless kicked off in front of a depleted crowd at Volkswagen Arena.

With the faint rumble of a drum from the home supporters all there was to inspire those on the pitch, the match started with no sense of potency from either side.

It was over 20 minutes before there was any action at either end of the pitch, as the opening moments were dominated by long balls which invariably failed to reach their intended targets.

Leverkusen were the first to show any signs of a breakthrough, as they began to press far up in the opposition half. This may not have suited Die Werkself, as their strength oftentimes lies in the form of fast counter-attacking play.

Predictably, Moussa Diaby provided a threat with his immense pace, and he finally got a shot away following a decent counter, but a defender was firmly in the way.

The visitors continued to push, and they went close when Sardar Azmoun's effort ricocheted off a Wolfsburg player and looped against the bar - although it would likely have been ruled out for offside anyway.

Having been subject to most of the pressure, the home side tried to exploit the possible defensive deficiencies of Jeremie Frimpong on their left side, and a ball in to Jakub Kaminski was deflected away from goal.

As the half wore on, Yannick Gerhardt saw his header go harmlessly over the bar, while a wayward long-shot from Nadiem Amiri ensured that the sides would head into the dressing room with the game goalless.

Second Half

What the opening period lacked in creative spark, the second half went one better, as neither side got enough of a grip on the game to deserve an opener.

Omar Marmoush, who will leave Wolfsburg at the end of the season, latched onto the end of Gerhardt's through ball, but the Egyptian was unable to steer it past Lukas Hradecky.

There were similar scenes at the other end soon after, as Diaby got in beyond Sebastiaan Bornauw, but Koen Casteels was equal to his low effort.

As well as attacking intent, the match was also devoid of a huge amount of controversy, with Mattias Svanberg's fall in the area the only VAR check to be seen, but no penalty was awarded.

The final 25 minutes saw something of an awakening for Leverkusen, with Wirtz having entered play, and Demirbay curled an effort at goal, only for Casteels to once again save.

Speaking of introductions, Patrick Wimmer promised to be Die Wolfe's best chance at snatching the game, and he twice troubled Hradecky to no avail.

With just minutes remaining, there was time for Casteels to ensure he would go home with the Man of the Match award, as he most notably kept out a powerful Amine Adli strike from the edge of the box.

Ultimately, neither of the two teams did enough to earn the three points, and Kovac will likely be the most satisfied of the two managers, given his opponents' recent form.

Player of the Match: Koen Casteels

Although not troubled as much as he might usually, the Wolfsburg stopper was evidently in good form, and was equal to anything Leverkusen could throw at him.

His late save from Adli was particularly important, and he commanded his area well throughout the game.