VfL Wolfsburg faces its worst Bundesliga season since 1997 promotion, sitting second-bottom with just 20 points from 24 games. The Volkswagen-backed club, once Bundesliga champions in 2009 under Felix Magath, now risks dropping to Germany's second tier. Sporting director Peter Christiansen, who arrived from FC Copenhagen in 2024, has overseen two coaching changes and assembled a bloated squad that's failed to deliver.

Wolfsburg's decline marks a dramatic fall from recent highs. In 2015 they won their first DFB-Pokal, and as recently as 2016 they nearly eliminated Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals. The club's exemption from Germany's 50+1 ownership rule has long made them unpopular with other fans, who now revel in their struggles. This season's relegation battle involves nearly half the Bundesliga, with Wolfsburg's plight particularly shocking given their status as one of only four clubs with continuous top-flight membership alongside Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayer Leverkusen.

Saturday's crucial match against Hamburger SV feels like a final for coach Daniel Bauer, whose comments about the club's Bundesliga-unsuitable culture have raised eyebrows. With Wolfsburg stuck in 17th place and unable to engage the emergency brake, their once-stable Bundesliga presence now hangs by a thread.