VfL Bochum 1848 vs VfL Wolfsburg Prediction & Preview
The 2. Bundesliga's ninth matchday begins in Bochum, where VfL Bochum 1848 and VfL Wolfsburg meet on Friday, 23 October 2026 at 17:30 BST. One side has taken four points from its last six games, the other eleven, and both arrive off a weekend in which their results went in opposite directions. The full build-up and the VfL Bochum 1848 vs VfL Wolfsburg match page are below.
When is VfL Bochum 1848 vs VfL Wolfsburg and what time is kick-off?
VfL Bochum 1848 play VfL Wolfsburg at the Ruhrstadion in Bochum on Friday, 23 October 2026, with kick-off at 17:30 BST. It is a 2. Bundesliga fixture, the ninth matchday of the league season in Germany.
- Fixture: VfL Bochum 1848 v VfL Wolfsburg
- Competition: 2. Bundesliga, matchday 9
- Date: Friday, 23 October 2026
- Kick-off: 17:30 BST
- Venue: Ruhrstadion, Bochum
Bochum have stopped scoring
Four goals in six games tells you most of it. Bochum have won once in that run, drawn once and lost four, and the two most recent defeats were the kind that leave a manager with very little to point at: beaten 0-2 away to 1. FC Kaiserslautern 6 days ago, beaten 0-1 at home by Arminia Bielefeld 12 days ago.
They have failed to score in 3 of those 6 matches and kept no clean sheets at all. Eight conceded, four scored.
Home has been no refuge either. Bochum have won 0 of their last 3 at the Ruhrstadion, taking a point from SpVgg Greuther Fürth in a 1-1 draw 41 days ago and losing to Bielefeld and to VfL Osnabrück. Their one win in the sequence came on the road, 2-1 at SG Dynamo Dresden 48 days ago. Uwe Rösler's side sit 16th on 7 points from 8 league games, according to Bulinews.
Wolfsburg keep producing goals, at both ends
Twenty scored and twelve conceded in six matches, with no clean sheet in any of them. Tobias Strobl's team have won 3, drawn 2 and lost 1 for 11 points, and they have scored two or more in 5 of 6. Five of those games produced three goals or more.
The headline numbers are a 5-1 win over Darmstadt 98 at home 35 days ago, a 3-1 win over 1. FC Heidenheim at home 6 days ago, and two 4-4 draws - away to 1. FC Nürnberg 13 days ago and at home to Energie Cottbus 48 days ago. The one defeat was a 0-1 at FC St. Pauli 41 days ago.
There is a split in the record, though. Wolfsburg have won 3 of their last 4 at home and 0 of their last 2 away. They are third on 15 points from 8 games.
Team news
Bochum are without Oliver Olsen, Philipp Strompf, Jean-Manuel Mbom and Babis Drakas, while Enis Çokaj has returned to training but is not yet ready to play, and Rösler has confirmed he will keep a back four with at least one change to the starting eleven and the final decision left until Friday afternoon, saying "Wir befinden uns defensiv nach wie vor auf hohem Niveau. Unser großes Problem ist, dass wir keine Tore schießen" - the defence is still at a good level, the problem is that they are not scoring (VfL Bochum 1848). Wolfsburg are missing Fraser Hornby, Aster Vranckx, Trevor Benedict, Mattias Svanberg and Rogério (Bulinews), though Liga-Zwei reports Robert Glatzel is fit again after a minor issue earlier in the week and expects an unchanged line-up.
Where the two records meet
Both sides have kept 0 clean sheets in their last six, so the open question is whether Bochum can take anything from a game that is likely to have goals in it. Both teams scored in 5 of Wolfsburg's 6 and in 3 of Bochum's 6.
Wolfsburg have a soft spot and it is their away record. That is the one number in this fixture working against them.
VfL Bochum 1848 vs VfL Wolfsburg prediction
Our prediction is a VfL Wolfsburg win at VfL Bochum 1848 in this 2. Bundesliga fixture on Friday, 23 October 2026, in a game with goals at both ends. Wolfsburg have scored two or more in 5 of their last 6 and Bochum have conceded in every one of theirs. The counter is that Wolfsburg have won 0 of their last 2 away and conceded twelve in six, so a clean sheet is not the call here.
Bochum should score. They should also concede twice.
Our prediction: VfL Bochum 1848 1-2 VfL Wolfsburg
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