Hannover vs Wolfsburg Prediction and Preview – 01/03/16
Bundesliga preview – Hannover vs Wolfsburg prediction.
Thomas Schaaf may be tempted to go with the same starting eleven that ended Hannover’s run of eight consecutive league defeats in Stuttgart on Saturday. It would mean secondary striker Hiroshi Kiyotake given preference over centre forward Artur Sobiech. Schaaf’s attacking options are limited with Hugo Almeida suspended, Charlison Benschop injured while Allan Saint-Maximin and Adam Szalai are both doubtful. There may be no place in the lineup for midfielder Ceyhun Gulselam who is eligible after serving a one-match suspension, Leon Andreasen is doubtful of making his return to midfield in midweek and winger Uffe Bech is out of action with a hip injury.
Wolfsburg suffered another injury blow when ever-present central defender Naldo dislocated his shoulder in the 2-0 defeat against Bayern Munich on Saturday. The Brazilian is expected to be out for up to three weeks and Robin Knoche will deputise. Naldo joins leading scorer Bas Dost, right winger Daniel Caligiuri and full back Sebastian Jung on the injured list. Andre Schurrle could be in line to start if Adelino Vieirinha fails to shake off a knock on the foot and Nicklas Bendtner is a possible attacking option after being laid low with flu for the past week.
Possible Line-ups
Hannover 4-2-3-1 formation: Zieler; Sakai, Sane, Schulz, Sorg; Yamaguchi, Hoffmann; Karaman, Fossum, Wolf; Kiyotake
Wolfsburg 4-2-3-1 formation: Casteels; Trasch, Knocke, Dante, Rodriguez; Arnold, Gustavo; Vieirinha, Draxler, Schafer; Kruse
Statistics
- Hannover have won 3 drawn 0 and lost 7 of their last 10 matches
- Wolfsburg have won 5 drawn 2 and lost 3 of their last 10 matches
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Hannover have scored an average of 0.7 goals and conceded an average of 1.3 goals per game
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Wolfsburg have scored an average of 1.6 goals and conceded an average of 1.4 goals per game
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 4 of Hannover’s previous 10 matches
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 4 of Wolfsburg’s previous 10 matches
Prediction
Bottom-of-the-league Hannover will be hoping the 2-1 victory at Stuttgart can spark a revival but there is a long way to go for Schaaf’s side which is six points adrift of safety. Hannover have won twice at home this season and lost the other nine. They have scored once in four home games since recording their last home win – 4-0 against Ingolstadt in late November.
Eighth-placed Wolfsburg have only won one away game in the current Bundesliga campaign, a 1-0 victory over Darmstadt in October. Dieter Hecking will be hopeful of improving on his team’s away record as this will be its first trip to one of the league’s bottom three sides. Wolfsburg have won their last two away games in the Champions League, 2-0 v CSKA Moscow and 3-2 v Gent, and will attempt to transfer that form to the domestic campaign.
Wolfsburg have tended to do better in games when the other team dominates possession which seems unlikely against Hannover.
Tips
Draw at 11/4 with BetVictor
Under 2.5 goals at 109/100 at Marathonbet
Correct Score 1-1 at 7/1 with BetVictor
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