Preview: Wolfsburg vs. Hertha Berlin - prediction, team news, lineups

Hertha, meanwhile, had their relegation confirmed ahead of the Bundesliga's final matchday after conceding a late equaliser to VfL Bochum last time out.

Match preview

Wolfsburg surrendered the initiative to Leverkusen in sixth by losing 2-0 to Freiburg last weekend, with late strikes from Christian Gunter and Nils Petersen keeping Christian Streich's side alive in the race for the Champions League spots.

Whether seventh place will prove enough to qualify for the Europa Conference League next season will depend on whether Eintracht Frankfurt - who can still overtake the Wolves in the table on the final day - defeat RB Leipzig in the upcoming DFB-Pokal final.

As such, Niko Kovac will be determined to cap a decent debut campaign at the club by beating Hertha, while hoping for a favour from relegation-threatened Bochum, who simultaneously host Leverkusen on the final day of the season.

In fact, should Bochum defeat Leverkusen as is far from improbable given their excellent home form since Thomas Letsch's appointment last year, a draw for Wolfsburg could prove enough should goal difference swing their way. However, they will be firmly expecting to defeat an already-relegated team on their home patch.

Indeed, having taken the lead against Bochum via Lucas Tousart's second-half strike, Hertha appeared to be clinging onto their Bundesliga status for dear life given that their opponents - and therefore the relegation playoff spot - were within three points of them in the table heading into the final day.

However, Keven Schlotterbeck's injury-time equaliser stunned a mostly motionless Olympiastadion, which will play host to second tier football next season for the first time in over a decade.

In truth, relegation has been coming for Die Alte Dame, who survived by the skin of their teeth in a relegation playoff against Hamburger SV last May. In the previous campaign, they were reliant on a late season surge to move away from danger, but that never appeared likely to happen this time around.

The club's hierarchy will be confident of bouncing back at the first attempt, just as they did in both 2011 and 2013, but they must ensure that they get the majority of their recruitment on and off the pitch right if they are to do so. In the meantime, Pal Dardai will be hoping to give the club's fanbase a slice of momentary solace on Saturday.

Wolfsburg Bundesliga form:

D

W

W

L

W

L

Hertha Berlin Bundesliga form:

L

L

L

W

L

D

Team News

Wolfsburg will remain without Lukas Nmecha, Paulo Otavio and Maxence Lacroix due to long-term injuries, but otherwise Kovac has a fully-fit squad at his disposal.

Mattias Svanberg, Omar Marmoush and Kevin Paredes could all return to the hosts' starting XI after only being used from the substitutes' bench during last weekend's defeat to Freiburg.

Hertha, meanwhile, will be without Maximilian Mittelstadt due to suspension after the full-back received his fifth caution of the season against Bochum.

Wilfried Kanga, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Filip Uremovic, Tolga Cigerci and Kelian Nsona appear set to miss out for fitness reasons, with Dardai likely to hand the likes of Jean-Paul Boetius, Marvin Plattenhardt and Florian Niederlechner starting berths in what will be Hertha's last Bundesliga match for at least 15 months.

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:

Casteels; Bornauw, Guilvagui, Van De Ven; Baku, Gerhardt, Arnold, Nmecha, Kaminski; Marmoush, Wind

Hertha Berlin possible starting lineup:

Christensen; Pekarik, Rogel, M Dardai, Plattenhardt; Boetius, Tousart, Boateng; Lukebakio, Jovetic, Richter

We say: Wolfsburg 2-0 Hertha Berlin

With Wolfsburg still requiring a positive result to have a chance of finishing sixth, Kovac's side should be ultra professional and determined to end the season on a high in front of their home fans.

Hertha could be demoralised having had their relegation sealed last weekend, and we expect their dismal campaign to come to an end with a defeat on Saturday.

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