Wolfsburg vs Sevilla

Volkswagen Arena is the venue as Wolfsburg and Sevilla lock horns in their first-ever UEFA Champions League showdown.

With all four sides in Group G on a point apiece after the opening matchday, Wolfsburg will hope to take control of proceedings here by extending their five-game winning run at home in the Champions League proper. By extension, the Germans have won 75% of their overall home matches in Europe’s elite club competition (6/8), with only Leicester boasting a better win percentage of all teams to have featured in 5+ games in the competition. Wolfsburg’s recent match-ups against Spanish opposition in major European competitions have been highlighted by action-packed football. Indeed, their last six such contests have seen ‘Die Wolfe’ score and concede 11 goals apiece, averaging 3.7 goals per game. That said, their scoreless draw with Lille on Matchday 1 saw Mark van Bommel’s side attempt the joint-fewest total shots (2) and the joint-fewest shots on target (0) of any team in the opening round.

In the meantime, Sevilla somehow survived a pulsating Matchday 1 clash against RB Salzburg at home, drawing 1-1 despite facing three spot-kicks and picking up a red card. To extend their impressive seven-match unbeaten streak in the Champions League away from home (W3, D4), ‘Los Rojiblancos’ will have to defy their disappointing recent record against German clubs. In fact, the Spaniards are winless in their last six European fixtures against Bundesliga adversaries (D2, L4) since a 3-0 thumping victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 2015/16 Champions League group stage. Hoping to overcome those unpleasant memories, Julen Lopetegui’s side take this trip in a good mood having gone undefeated in all seven competitive games this season (W4, D3).