Holstein Kiel vs VfL Wolfsburg

This will be the third competitive meeting between Holstein Kiel and VfL Wolfsburg in professional football – the first two came during the relegation play-offs in 2017/18. Wolfsburg won both encounters to ensure they didn't go down (3-1 H, 1-0 A). This will be their first time facing each other in the Bundesliga, making it the 962nd unique fixture pairing in the division's history.

Holstein Kiel are the fourth consecutive side to remain winless on their debut appearance in the Bundesliga (D1, L3) – in total, only one of the last eight sides to debut in the division have won their first ever game (FC Ingolstadt in 2015/16 – otherwise D3, L4). Of the last nine Bundesliga debutants, only 1. FC Heidenheim went on to lose the first two games of their inaugural campaign.

VfL Wolfsburg started the 2024/25 season with a 3-2 defeat to FC Bayern, ending a six-game unbeaten run on matchday 1 in the Bundesliga. They have only ever started a top-flight campaign with two straight defeats in 2010/11 – they also opened that season by losing to FCB.

VfL Wolfsburg have lost just one of their last nine Bundesliga games against a newly-promoted side (W4, D4): 2-1 at Werder Bremen in January 2023. Last season, the Wolves earned 10 of a possible 12 points against the promoted teams – only Leipzig and Leverkusen fared better (12 points each).

Holstein Kiel earned just 29 points from 17 home games in the second division last season, putting them ninth in the home-form table. However, they were the league's best away side in 2023/24, collecting 39 points on their travels. Last season, Kiel became the first team in Bundesliga 2’s single-division era to earn promotion to the top flight despite suffering six defeats on home soil.