Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich will look to finish the campaign on a high note when they travel to Wolfsburg on Saturday in the final game of the 2021-22 season.
The visitors have failed to win in both of their encounters since confirming their 10th successive league title, whilst the hosts have improved in recent weeks to finish a disappointing campaign in positive fashion.
Match preview
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After performing far below expected standards for much of the season, Wolfsburg have finally begun to show their capabilities in recent weeks.
Three wins, and just one defeat, from their last five outings have seen Florian Kohfeldt's side climb the table and end any lingering fears of an unexpected relegation battle.
Last weekend's 1-0 success at FC Koln was perhaps the best of the bunch, as Die Wolfe put their dreadful away form behind them to come out winners at a difficult venue against the in-form Billy Goats.
Yannick Gerhardt netted the only goal of the game just before half time, and thanks to an excellent performance from backup goalkeeper Pavao Pervan, Wolfsburg came away with an impressive three points.
Saturday's hosts remained in 13th spot despite the victory, but although they could climb as many as three places with a positive result against the champions, it will not be enough to secure a top-half finish.
Kohfeldt has answered many critics with the upturn in form in recent weeks though, and the 39-year-old will be out to secure an upset against their visitors on the final day to take into a busy summer ahead of a targeted improvement in the 2022-23 campaign.
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Meanwhile, Bayern head to the Volkswagen Arena on the back of two disappointing results in the Bundesliga.
Since confirming the retention of their crown with victory over challengers Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker, the Bavarians have lost to Mainz 05 and drawn with relegation-threatened Stuttgart since.
The 3-1 defeat to Die Nullfunfer was perhaps the perfect example of a team suffering from a hangover as a result of celebrations, with Julian Nagelsmann's side well beaten against an intense Mainz side.
Although a response would have been expected in their final home game of the campaign at the Allianz Arena last weekend, Bayern were once again well below their usual exceptional standards.
The four-man backline was wide open and left exposed to Stuttgart counter attacks on numerous occasions, whilst at the other end, Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski were unusually guilty of missing some wonderful opportunities.
Kingsley Coman saw red in the fifth minute of stoppage time to sum up a disappointing final game in front of the Bayern faithful, but after failing to see his side bounce back on that occasion, Nagelsmann will be expectant when his side travel to the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday.
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Team News
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After missing last weekend's win in Koln due to a shoulder problem, first-choice goalkeeper Koen Casteels is unlikely to return for Wolfsburg on Saturday, meaning Pervan should retain his place in between the posts.
As they have done in recent weeks, Paulo Otavio, William and Luca Waldschmidt definitely remain on the sidelines for the hosts.
Micky van de Ven deputised for the injured Jerome Roussillon at full-back last weekend, but after being forced off with a knock, he is a doubt to deputise again against the champions.
Roussillon should be able to return but Sebastiaan Bornauw is labelled as a doubt due to a back problem, and should the latter miss out, Kohfeldt is likely to stick with his four-man defence once more.
As for the visitors, Coman's red card last time out means that the winger will miss the final day at the weekend.
Bouna Sarr is unlikely to return from a knee problem, whilst Eric Choupo-Moting could miss out due to a knee injury of his own.
Leroy Sane could deputise for Coman in the wide area, depending if the German has recovered from the illness that saw him miss out on the draw with Stuttgart last week.
Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:
Pervan; Baku, Lacroix, Brooks, Roussillon; Kruse, Schlager, Arnold, Gerhardt; Wind, L Nmecha
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Pavard, Upamecano, Hernandez, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Gnabry, Muller, Sane; Lewandowski
We say: Wolfsburg 1-3 Bayern Munich
After improving in terms of performances and results in recent weeks, Wolfsburg certainly possess the capability of hurting this shaky Bayern defence on Saturday.
However, although they may well find the back of the net, the hosts have been a poor outfit for much of the campaign, and should the champions return to their expected best, they would have far too much in them for this Wolfsburg side.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Bayern Munich win with a probability of 64.02%. A draw had a probability of 18.9% and a win for Wolfsburg had a probability of 17.07%.
The most likely scoreline for a Bayern Munich win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.7%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (8.72%) and 0-1 (7.58%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.42%), while for a Wolfsburg win it was 2-1 (4.68%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5.4% likelihood.
Top tip
Matthew Tranter
