Is VfL Wolfsburg moving into a European round of 16 for the first time since 2016? VfL is the favorite in the second leg of the Europa League intermediate round at Malmö FF. However, trainer Oliver Glasner also has some construction sites.
Malmö (dpa) - In the Bundesliga with a clearly increasing tendency, in the Europa League with good chances in the round of 16: VfL Wolfsburg want to refine the first leg victory of a week ago in the intermediate round at Malmö FF. Coach Oliver Glasner, however, has to do without important players.
THE STARTING POSITION: The 2-1 win against the Swedish home club of football icon Zlatan Ibrahimović, who now plays for AC Milan, puts VfL in a good position. The Lower Saxony are also favorites in the new Malmö Stadium. The first leg result also harbors dangers. A 1-0 win would be enough for Malmö to advance.
THE PERSONNEL: VfL is weak in substitution in Sweden - especially on the defensive. Captain and midfielder Josuha Guilavogui and left-back Jérôme Roussillon are missing from the Wolfsburg squad due to injury. In William (cruciate ligament rupture) and Kevin Mbabu (yellow card suspension), two right-backs are also out. Maximilian Arnold, on the other hand, is available again after his suspension in the league. "He's been playing a really good season so far," Glasner praised the midfielder and promised him a starting XI spot.
THE OPPONENT: Malmö is the Swedish record champion. The team's biggest star is coach Jon Dahl Tomasson. As a player, the 43-year-old celebrated the Champions League title (2003), the UEFA Cup victory (2002) and was champion in Italy (2005) and the Netherlands (1999). The Dane was active for AC Milan, VfB Stuttgart and Feyenoord Rotterdam, among others. Malmo’s problem: In Sweden, the season only starts in April after a long winter break. The team currently has little practice.
THE FANS FACTOR: The small, narrow stadium in Malmö is known for its atmosphere. The frenetic fans of the hosts want to roar their team to victory against VfL. After all, around 1700 Wolfsburg fans will be among the slightly more than 20,000 spectators. They will try to do the best they can.
Information about the game Malmo - Wolfsburg
News about VfL Wolfsburg
The VfL Wolfsburg squad
Tomasson interview at goal.com
