Wolfsburg striker Max Kruse. (Photo : Getty Images)
Last season's runner-up finishers VfL Wolfsburg (10-9-7, 37 points) will look to carry out a more respectable finish in the 2015-2016 Bundesliga season as the team faces newly-promoted squad SV Darmstadt 98 (6-11-9, 27 points) at the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday, March 19th.
Wolfsburg had been struggling to replicate their fine form from the year before. The team had three winless games in their last six outings which signifies their mercurial play all throughout this season.
Dieter Hecking's side was upset by bottom-three club 1899 Hoffenheim, 0-1, last Saturday at the WIRSOL Rhein-Neckar-Arena to stay at the eighth spot in the current league table, as per ESPN.
Croatian forward Andrej Kramarić, who was on loan from the Premier League's Leicester City, scored the lone goal of the match right at the third minute for Die Kraichgauer and then the two teams went scoreless the rest of the way in a lackluster performance in Sinsheim last weekend.
Die Wölfe's loss further decreased their chances of qualifying in the Champions League again next season as they are now five points behind the final berth currently held by Borussia Monchengladbach.
The top three finishers this season will automatically enter next season's Champions League group stage while the fourth-place finisher gets to qualify in the playoff round of the said tournament.
Meanwhile, Darmstadt settled for a 2-2 draw with lowly club FC Augsburg at their home field of Merck-Stadion am Bollenfalltor also last Saturday, as reported by SkySports.
Die Lilien kicked off to an early 2-0 lead as Bosnian midfielder Mario Vrancic and German striker Sandro Wagner scored one goal apiece at the 12th and 40th-minute marks.
However, Augsburg was able to gain two goals in the second half, courtesy of German defender Markus Feulner and Icelandic forward Alfred Finnbogason at the 63rd and 90th minutes respectively, to salvage the tie and share a point each with Darmstadt in the overall standings.
The predicted result is a lackluster 1-0 win for Wolfsburg. Hecking's boys will continue with their struggles but will prevail against Darmstadt in this game.
Wolfsburg starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Casteels; Trasch, Knoche, Dante, Rodriguez; Guilavogui, Gustavo, Arnold; Caligiuri, Kruse, Schurrle
SV Darmstadt 98 starting lineup (4-4-1-1 formation): Mathenia; Jungwirth, Sulu, Rajkovic, Caldirola; Kempe, Niemeyer, Gondorf, Heller; Vrancic, Wagner
