"Craving a Home Victory": Bochum Seeks Turnaround Against Wolfsburg
Struggling to find success in their own backyard, VfL Bochum yearn for their first home win of the season. "There's no doubt that we're chomping at the bit for our initial triumph in the comfort of our own stadium," said head coach Thomas Letsch ahead of this weekend's match against VfL Wolfsburg (3:30 p.m./Sky).
Their dismal record of being the only Bundesliga team without a home win this year, coupled with two losses against Wolfsburg last season with a devastating 1:9 goal difference, provides an extra motivational push. "If our opponents find comfort in treating us as a favorite opponent, we've got to do everything in our power to alter those statistics. If we're repulsive from the get-go, it'll be quite a challenge to snatch any points home," Letsch shared.
Letsch, who renewed his contract in Bochum until 2026 this past week, anticipates the criticism surrounding the team's 14th-place standing and its seven draws in the first twelve games. He acknowledged that the points tally so far falls short of expectations, but notes that the team is exactly where most prognosticators predicted they'd be at this point in the season. "If we wind up in this table position by the season's end, the majority of folks in Bochum will find vast contentment," Letsch states.
VfL Bochum, the Bundesliga's only team without a home win this year, aims to break this ominous trend against VfL Wolfsburg. Despite a recent upward trend of four matches devoid of defeat (with three draws and a win in that stretch), Letsch highlighted the fact that his team has left fans cringing in some contests due to their poor opening-minute performances, which makes securing victories a challenge.
Critical Insight: The team has seen some improvement in overall performance lately, earning eight points out of ten in their last five games. This upward trend is, however, not reflected in their home record, with only one point earned from nine home matches, making them the Bundesliga's worst home team this season.
Chances are slim that Letsch will provide any details about the team's strategy for facing Wolfsburg based on the available sources. Regardless, the team's recent resurgence highlights their potential for improvement on the field, and Bochum faithfully hopes to vanquish "disgusting" opening-minute performances in order to secure a home win.
