Wolfsburg vs Bayern Munich

Volkswagen Arena forms the backdrop for an exciting 2024/25 Bundesliga opening-day clash between Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich.

Wolfsburg navigated a frustrating 2023/24 Bundesliga season only thanks to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s appointment as a manager with eight matches to go. The ex-Southampton boss won half of his league games in charge of ‘Die Wolfe’ (W4, L4) to steer them to a 12th-place finish. Hasenhuttl will hope to inspire a more handsomely-looking campaign this term following a narrow 1-0 win against lower-league TuS Koblenz in last weekend’s DFB-Pokal action. Wolfsburg fans would appreciate a winning league start, something the hosts have achieved in six of the past nine years (D2, L1). However, Hasenhuttl is up against a Bayern Munich side he has lost to in seven of his previous eight encounters as manager (W1).

Meanwhile, redemption-seeking Bayern Munich swept aside lower-league Ulm 4-0 in the DFB-Pokal on Vincent Kompany’s touchline debut. Regaining the Bundesliga crown is imperative for the former Manchester City captain after the Bavarians relinquished their 11-year stranglehold on the division last term to Bayer Leverkusen. With Bayern missing out on the Bundesliga title for two consecutive seasons only once since 1996/97, anything other than a record-extending 33rd trophy would be a failure. Kompany’s Bundesliga debut looks destined for success, with the Bavarian giants beating Wolfsburg in 18 of their last 20 H2Hs (D2). On top of that, they’ve gone unbeaten in their opening league fixture across the past 12 years (W10, D2).