Getty Bayer Leverkusen forward Lucas Alario.
VfL Wolfsburg will host Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Volkswagen Arena on Sunday in each side’s Bundesliga season opener.
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In the United States, the match (Noon ET) won’t be on TV anywhere, but anyone in the US can watch Wolfsburg vs Leverkusen live on ESPN+:
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Or, if you also want Disney+ and Hulu, you can get all three for $12.99 per month, which works out to about 31 percent savings:
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Wolfsburg vs Leverkusen Preview
Leverkusen have gone largely unchanged since their last Bundesliga campaign, adding Czech forward Patrik Schick and No. 2 goalkeeper Lennart Grill of Germany to a roster that placed fifth on the league table with 63 points a season ago, two points back of Borussia Monchengladbach for the final Champions League qualification spot.
Last year’s squad also fell to treble winners Bayern Munich 4-2 the DFB-Pokal final and met elimination in the quarterfinals and group stage of the Europa League and Champions League, respectively.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Die Werkself played just one friendly leading up to their 2020-21 season.
“The start of the season is not easy without a proper pre-season,” Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said Wednesday, according to the club’s official website. “Despite that, a team can grow together. In addition, we don’t have any new signings other than Lennart Grill and Patrik Schick up to now. To that extent, all the players know each other and have taken in the way we play. I expect the players to quickly form a team — and take on the difficult circumstances as a challenge.”
Leverkusen opened their 2020-21 campaign on Sept. 13, dispatching fourth-tier Eintracht Norderstedt 7-0 in the DFB-Pokal first round. Schick came off the bench to head home Die Werkself’s last goal in the 77th minute following a scramble in front of the Norderstedt net.
Wolfsburg have already played twice in 2020-21, besting fourth-tier FSV Union Furstenwalde in the first round of the domestic cup at home on Sept. 12 and topping Albanian side FK Kukësi 4-0 on the road five days later in a Europa League qualifier.
Last year, Die Wolfe placed seventh in the Bundesliga with 49 points, edging SC Freiburg by a point for an opportunity to qualify for the Europa League. They also reached the DFB-Pokal second round and the Europa League round of 16.
Leverkusen and Wolfsburg split their two meetings a season ago; the former won 2-0 on the road in November, and Die Wolfe triumphed 4-1 in Leverkusen in May of this year.
“We know that Leverkusen are one of the very best teams in the Bundesliga — they have unbelievable quality and pace up front,” Wolfsburg manager Oliver Glasner said Friday, according to the club’s official website. “The good thing is that we proved we can compete with them and beat them not too long ago. If we can execute our game plan fully then we’ve got a good chance of beating Bayer. Leverkusen have a team that will again be there or thereabouts when it comes to the Champions League spots.”