One point above the relegation zone, knocked out of the cup by second division side Holstein Kiel, plus four home defeats in a row: Wolfsburg are going through a difficult phase and haven’t won at home in 14 games, a run dating back to 14 January this year,  and the 5-1 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach.

During the international break in November, VfL pulled the emergency brake and parted ways with head coach Paul Simonis, who had only been appointed in the summer. Daniel Bauer has taken over on an interim basis. The 43-year-old has been coaching the U19s since 2022 and already stepped in for four games during the 2024/25 season, picking up four points and leading the team to a stable finish, with neither relegation nor European competition within reach.

Bauer has been extremely successful with the U19s this season with 12 wins from 12.  His second interim debut with the first team ended in a 1-3 defeat in Leverkusen, but his courageous performance in the 1-1 draw in Frankfurt caught the eye.

Union and Wolfsburg have met 15 times so far. Union have won five, three have ended in draws and VfL have won seven. Union have struggled in the Volkswagen Arena so far, picking up just one point from seven games.

For Wolfsburg's interim coach, the match is a reunion with his old club. Daniel Bauer was under contract with 1. FC Union Berlin for six months at the beginning of 2007, playing in the Regionalliga Nord.

On Union's side, head coach Steffen Baumgart returns to his old stomping ground as an active professional. The former centre forward donned the green and white jersey in 38 competitive matches and scored six goals.

Andrik Markgraf, Dmytro Bogdanov and Robert Skov will not be in the squad for the match in Wolfsburg. In addition, midfielder and  vice-captain, Rani Khedira, is suspended after receiving his fifth yellow card.

"We want to try to prevent Wolfsburg from playing to their strengths, stay close to our opponents and, above all, create chances to score, which we then want to make the most of,” said Union head coach, Steffen Baumgart, during his press conference on Friday afternoon.” Daniel Bauer is an ambitious person who knows exactly how to set up his team. We will prepare for that and are looking forward to the away game in Wolfsburg."

Bauer said, meanwhile: ‘You have to work hard for success and victories. When I see what the lads have invested since day one of our takeover, we are on a very, very good path. That's exactly how we want to perform against Union.’

Over 3,300 Union fans will travel to Wolfsburg for the away game in Lower Saxony. The Union-Fahr-Zeughaus will also be there. Information about visiting the stadium can be found here.