Wolfsburg v Greuther Fürth: CONFIRMED lineups, match stats and LIVE blog!
Max Kruse makes his second Wolfsburg debut when full-back Greuther Fürth visits the Volkswagen-Arena on Sunday (kick-off: 5:30 p.m. CET).
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Kruse was one of the surprise movers during the winter transfer window, with the former Germany international leaving Union Berlin in favor of a return to the club where he scored nine goals in 43 competitive games in 2015 /16. The 33-year-old had enjoyed another fine season in the final third, contributing five goals and as many assists to Union’s surprise top four tilt. Needless to say, Florian Kohfeldt hopes the player who served him so well at Werder Bremen can continue his good work. Wolves are winless in their last nine Bundesliga games, losing seven, and so have fallen to within two points of the last three. Striker Wout Weghorst has left the club, while co-top scorer Lukas Nmecha remains sidelined, while newcomer Jonas Wind makes his debut alongside Kruse in attack. The Danish international scored 11 goals in 27 games for Copenhagen this season before making the switch.
Fürth has made his own moves, with Swedish international goalkeeper Andreas Linde joining the club from Molde, although he starts on the bench here as the Clover Leaves try to pull off a great relegation escape. The promoted side seemed dead and buried in December, but a run of nine points from the last 18 on offer gives them a glimmer of hope. Unbeaten in their last four games, Greuther closed the gap to second-bottom VfB Stuttgart to eight points as Wolfsburg fell to just three points clear in the relegation play-off. Otherwise, head coach Stefan Leitl remains with the same side that beat Mainz 2-1 before the January mini-break. It means a ninth consecutive start for former Bayern Munich youngster Timothy Tillman, behind the budding attacking trio of Germany U21 international Jamie Leweling, Jeremy Dudziak – who contributed to both goals against Mainz – and veteran striker Branimir Hergota.
Look: Fürth kept his hopes of survival against Mainz alive
Match statistics
- Kruse recorded six goals and eight assists in 32 Bundesliga appearances for Wolves in 2015/16, followed by 17 goals and 22 assists in just under two full seasons under Kohfeldt at Bremen.
- Wolfsburg are winless in 11 games, with the club’s ignominious record 13 to avoid (2009/10). They have already equaled a club record of not scoring in their last four Bundesliga games.
- When these teams met in the reverse match, Wolfsburg were top of the Bundesliga and the only team not yet to drop points. Fürth has been down since that game.
- However, for the first time in their history, the Clover Leaves have now gone four Bundesliga matches unbeaten.
- They are the two Bundesliga clubs who have scored the fewest goals this season, with just 17 each.
- Leweling and Hrgota shared eight of Fürth’s tally (four goals each).
CONFIRMED compositions
Wolfsburg: Casteels (c) – Lacroix, Bornauw, Brooks – Baku, Vranckx, Arnold, Gerhardt – Kruse, Steffen – Wind
Subtitles: Pervan, Van de Ven, Waldschmidt, Roussillon, Philipp, Bialek, F. Nmecha, Lukebakio, Paredes
Outside: L. Nmecha (ankle), Otavio (knee), Schlager (knee), William (knee)
Coach: Florian Kohfeldt
Furth: Burchert – Asta, Griesbeck, Viergever, Willems – Seguin, Christiansen, Tillman – Dudziak – Leweling, Hrgota (c)
Subtitles: Linde, Bauer, Pululu, Abiama, Nielsen, Raschl, Jung, Itter, Green
Outside: Funk (knee), Kehr (knee), Ngankam (knee)
Coach: Stefan Leitl
