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Wolfsburg will face Espanyol at the AOK Stadion on Wednesday in a friendly clash between the two clubs. The German side had mixed results in the Bundesliga last season as they finished 11th in the table, their third bottom-half league finish in the last four seasons, which led to the dismissal of head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl.
Former Go Ahead Eagles manager Paul Simonis has now been appointed as the new head coach at Wolfsburg. The Dutchman took charge of his first friendly last weekend as his side beat 2. Bundesliga side Magdeburg 4-3, thanks to goals from three different players including Dzenan Pejcinovic, who netted a brace.
Espanyol's pre-season campaign is now in full swing as they look to improve on their 14th-place finish in LaLiga last season. They beat English Championship side Southampton 2-1 in their last friendly outing with Javi Puado coming off the bench to score a late double, before their opponents pulled one back in additional time.
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Following Wednesday's game, both sides will continue their pre-season, with Wolfsburg set to face Eredivisie side Feyenoord while Espanyol will trade tackles with Union Berlin.
Wolfsburg vs Espanyol Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Wednesday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
- Wolfsburg have had eight competitive meetings against Spanish opposition. They have won two of those games, drawn two and lost the other four.
- Espanyol faced German opposition in last year's pre-season, losing 2-1 to Heidenheim.
- Die Wolfe scored 56 goals in the Bundesliga last season, the highest of any team that finished in the bottom-half of the pile.
- Periquitos have managed just two clean sheets in their last 10 outings.
Wolfsburg vs Espanyol Prediction
The Wolves will head into the midweek clash on the back of consecutive victories and they will now be looking to add a third. They, however, showed their defensive frailties against much weaker opponents last weekend and have work to do this Wednesday.
Espanyol were dominant in their game against Southampton last time out and will be looking to put out another positive display on Wednesday. They, however, ended the previous campaign with a four-game winless run away from home and could lose this one.
Prediction: Wolfsburg 2-1 Espanyol
Wolfsburg vs Espanyol Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Wolfsburg
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Five of the hosts' last seven matches have produced more than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: YES
