Having revived their top 4 hopes by beating Hamburger SV on the road, Wolfsburg need to see off Freiburg as well and hope that Bayer Leverkusen will slip up against Borussia Dortmund. Meanwhile, SCF secured Bundesliga survival by defeating Borussia M’gladbach and they arrive at Volkswagen Arena high on confidence.

Champions League dream still alive

Not too many people would have tipped Wolfsburg to fight for Champions League positions this term at a time when Dieter Hecking took over the reigns from Felix Magath in December 2012. The talented manager, nonetheless, quickly got the team playing to their potential and a strong finish to the Bundesliga campaign was just a sign of things to come. The Wolves largely impressed this season to come into position to fight for a top 4 finish and they are now incredibly close to Champions League qualification. The Wolves may be one point behind fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen, but with die Werkself playing Borussia Dortmund tomorrow afternoon, a win over Freiburg could see them emerge as favourites for the final Champions League berth. The hosts will have to be wary of free-scoring SCF, but it is clear they have more than enough quality up front to hurt one of the worst travellers in German Bundesliga. The hosts will be without several important players, but their 10-2-3 home record is enough to suggest another home win could be on the cards.

Luiz Gustavo misses out through suspension, whereas Diego Benaglio, Junior Malanda and Bas Dost remain in the infirmary. Slobodan Medojevic should be recalled to the starting line-up.

The pressure is off

Last season was one of the most successful for SC Freiburg as they impressed to achieve a fifth-place finish in Bundesliga and thus ensured Europa League qualification. However, with the squad completely unprepared for the busy schedule, Christian Streich’s side largely struggled in all competitions entered in the first part of the season, and only recently started playing to their potential. Just a month and a half ago, Freiburg sat in the relegation zone with players completely out of confidence, but an incredible run of results saw them turn things around and secure their Bundesliga status. Thanks to some impressive attacking performances, SCF recorded five wins in last seven to climb to 13th place in the standings, so nobody will be too concerned by their dismal away form. Freiburg have lost five of last eight matches on the road, failing to score in six of those games, although with their spirits high at the moment, the Mage Solar Stadion outfit can be trusted to improve their scoring record on the road, although I doubt they can stop in-form Wolves in their tracks.

The visitors have some important missings as Oliver Sorg and Felix Klaus are banned, whilst Vaclav Pilar and Mensur Mujdza are out injured.

Verdict

Wolfsburg are unlikely to pass up on such a good opportunity to edge closer to Champions League qualification, especially as the Wolves have been quite convincing on home soil. Having finally secured survival, Freiburg are expected to adopt a positive approach, but I cannot see them creating a surprise here.

Top pick: Both teams to score   1.60 (3/5) @ Betfair

Alternative pick 1: Wolfsburg/Wolfsburg   2.12 (28/25) @ 888sport

Alternative pick 2: Home win + both teams to score  2.60 (8/5) @ Ladbrokes