The offer is just too good to ignore, in my opinion. Regardless of Wolfsburg’s involvement in Cup action in midweek and Hoffenheim’s proper 7-days preparation cycle, the quality difference between these two is close to day and night. It is also reflected in the current standings, where Wolfsburg is deservedly in a rare fight for Champions League berth next season.

They’ve been in stunning form of late and if I look back at one of my picks on them at the dawn of 2021, even then their potential was seen, when I was tipping them to avoid a 2 goals defeat away to Borussia Dortmund. Of course, that only game turned out to be their worst performance and odd defeat by a 2 goal margin. The 2nd came this week - in the cup against Red Bull Leipzig.

Defense and goalkeeper Casteels have been the keys to Wolfsburg’s success this season. They have the best defensive record in Bundesliga with a strong 19 conceded goals in 23 rounds. A really untypical achievement/trait for a German top tier team, where most teams usually rely on goals to earn points.

In many ways their Saturday opponent is a total antagonist. Hoffenheim often reminds me of an elephant in an antique shop. They are strong, but clumsy and crash everything around, causing total chaos as they move. Besides, half of their squad is constantly missing through injuries or suspensions. This has been their trademark train, in fact, that the casualty list is usually so long that one may put together another Bundesliga team.

Before the Saturday match things aren’t looking any better, to be fair. Hoffe will definitely miss their season’s best rated player - central midfielder Bicakcic. 5 players, including top scorer Kramaric, are rated as doubts. The Croatian striker has been enjoying another strong season, but it feels he’s only able to make 2 or 3 games in succession without picking up another injury. There is absolutely no guarantee he will at his best in the 1st match after another absence. I would rather expect the opposite.

Odds have improved on Wolfsburg, perhaps, on the news regarding Kramaric’s return to full fitness. But the market behaviour and money flow can’t draw me away from a bet on Wolfsburg, who are simply the better team at all levels + they have a full squad to pick from, suspended Pograncic aside.

不管球队周中是否参赛，沃尔夫斯堡和霍芬海姆的实力差距明显。这也反映在目前的排名上，沃尔夫斯堡下赛季将会参加欧战。

他们最近状态很好，如果我回头看看我在2021年的时候对他们的评价，他们的潜力就已经显现出来了，当时我认为他们可以避免在客场输给多特蒙德的比赛中丢两球。当然，这唯一的一场比赛是他们最糟糕的表现，奇怪的是他们有优势却被击败。第二场比赛发生在本周，在与莱比锡红牛的比赛中。

后卫和门将卡斯提尔斯是沃尔夫斯堡本赛季成功的关键。他们拥有德甲最好的防守记录，在23轮比赛中攻入19球。对于德国顶级球队来说，这是一个不常见的现象，因为大多数球队都是依靠进球来获得积分的。

霍芬海姆经常让我想起古玩店里的大象。它们很强壮，但很笨拙，会撞碎周围的一切，移动时造成混乱。此外，一半的队员经常因为伤病或停赛而缺阵。事实上，这已经成为他们的标志，伤亡名单通常如此之长，甚至都能组建另一支德甲球队。

公平地说，在周六的比赛之前，情况并没有好转。霍芬海姆肯定会错过本赛季最好的中场球员比卡契奇。包括最佳射手克拉马里克在内的5名球员都可能缺席。克罗地亚前锋享受着又一个强劲的赛季，但他伤病很频繁。没有人能保证他会在缺席的第一场比赛中发挥出最佳状态。我希望情况正好相反。

在沃尔夫斯堡的比赛中，有消息说克拉马里克已经完全康复了。但是市场和资金流动并不能让我放弃对沃尔夫斯堡的选择，他们在各个位置都是更好的球队，并且他们有一个完整的阵容可以选择，除了暂停的彭拉契奇。