Wolfsburg and Mainz 05 draw 1-1 in the Volkswagen Arena
Wolfsburg drew 1-1 against Mainz 05 in the 29th matchday of the Bundesliga. Carlos Ascues was called up again, but did not play. Schürrle scored for Wolfsburg and Samperio equalized for the visiting team.
Wolfsburg could not repeat their great performance against Real Madrid in the Bundesliga. With several substitutes, they could only draw at home against Mainz 05, a team currently in the Europa League qualification zone.
Without Benaglio, Vieirinha and Rodríguez, players that coach Hecking preferred to save for the match against Real Madrid, and without the presence of their last game's star, Draxler, the home team took the lead with Schürrle's goal.
However, the visiting team managed to react and equalized 20 minutes into the second half with a goal by Jairo Samperio. Both teams looked for the winning goal but the defenses were solid and the match ended in a draw.
Peruvian player Carlos Ascues was called up but did not play. Wolfsburg is waiting for Tuesday to face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. They have a 2-0 advantage that they hope to defend to secure their spot in the Champions League semifinals.
Lineups:
Wolfsburg: Casteels; Schäfer, Dost, Träsch, B. Henrique; Schürrle, Dante, Luiz Gustavo, Guilavogui; Naldo, Arnold.
Mainz 05: Karius; Bell, Balogun, Donati, Brosinski; Malli, Latza, Baumgartlinger, Córdoba; De Blasis, Clemens.
Goals:
| Wolfsburg 1-1 Mainz 05 | Goal by Samperio |
| Wolfsburg 1-0 Mainz 05 | Goal by Schürrle |
Match highlights:
Pre-match:
Currently, Wolfsburg sits in eighth place in the German league with 38 points, 6 points behind Schalke 04, who would currently be pre-qualified for the Europa League. However, Hecking's team is motivated after their surprising victory on Wednesday.
They will also try to close the gap with Mainz 05, a team that currently sits in sixth place with 44 points and continues to fight for a spot in the Champions League qualification zone. In their last league match, Wolfsburg lost 2-0.
Against all odds, the 'wolves' surprised Real Madrid and have greatly increased their chances of being among the top 4 in Europe. It all depends on their performance at the Santiago Bernabeu, where their fans hope they can defend the result obtained in the first leg.
It is expected that Wolfsburg's coach will rest some players for the Champions League match. However, there are concerns that many of their starters may already be thinking about the match on Tuesday and might miss the opportunity for a victory today that would place them higher in the Bundesliga standings.
Possible lineups:
Wolfsburg: Benaglio; Trasch, Dante, Knoche, Rodríguez; Arnold, Guilavogui, Schürrle, Draxler, Vieirinha; Kruse.
Mainz: Karius; Bussman, Bell, Hack, Brosinski; Frei, Latza, De Blasis, Malli, Clemens; Córdoba.