Wolfsburg will be excited to finally put the disappointment of last season behind them and embark on a new campaign, having spent most of last term flirting with relegation until a late surge came to their rescue. That was down to the appointment of Ralph Hasenhüttl as manager with eight league games to go, of which he won half (L4) to steer Wolfsburg to safety and a 12th-place finish.
With a full pre-season behind him, he will hope to hit the ground running and start with a win, just as the Wolves have in six of the last nine seasons (D2, L1). That record will most certainly be at risk against a redemption-seeking Bayern Munchen, a team Hasenhüttl has only beaten once in eight previous attempts as manager (L7).
Bayern Munchen will be fired up after their 11-year reign as Bundesliga champions came to an end last season, although it did take an unprecedented unbeaten season from Bayer Leverkusen to uproot them. Vincent Kompany’s appointment as the man tasked with leading their return to the top came as a surprise to many after he’d just overseen Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League, and he’ll be under immediate pressure since Bayern have only failed to win the Bundesliga for two seasons running just once since 1996/97.
History suggests Kompany has been handed the ideal start here, with Bayern Munchen having thoroughly dominated Wolfsburg recently by scoring in each of the last 36 H2Hs, a run which has helped them win 18 of the last 20 encounters (D2). Another positive result here would see the away side make it a 13th successive season in which they’ve avoided defeat in the opening round (W10, D2).
Players to watch: Jonas Wind will be hoping to top Wolfsburg’s scoring charts like he did last season, and he could get stuck into his work early since 19 of his last 23 goals for the club have come before half-time. Looking to top a chart of his own will be Bayern’s one-club hero Thomas Müller, who is set to become their all-time record appearance holder in the Bundesliga should he take the field for a 474th time in the league. He’s won more Bundesliga games against Wolfsburg in his career (24) than against any other side, scoring 16 goals in the process.
Hot streak: Wolfsburg haven’t drawn any of their last 12 competitive matches (W5, L7).
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