As of: January 24, 2025 7:54 a.m
In the Bundesliga northern duel between VfL Wolfsburg and Holstein Kiel, the focus will once again be on Mohamed Amoura. The “Wolves” top striker faces the worst defense in the league, which has recently received reinforcements.
Amoura is on everyone’s lips right now. A double pack Not everyone succeeds against the big FC Bayern (2:3). And the Wolfsburg summer newcomer is a real feast for the eyes simply because of his speed. His importance for VfL is already enormous – eight goals and seven assists have already been recorded in the Bundesliga.
All of this has its price. According to consistent media reports, Amoura is not just on loan, as was initially reported: The “Wolves” are investing around 17 million euros in the loan and subsequent purchase. Amoura should then receive a contract until 2029.
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The 1.70 m tall Amoura has already announced that he is far from reaching the end of his capabilities. But when it comes to communication, there are still one or two obstacles to overcome. The North African does not speak German or English and his French is at least not good enough to give interviews. The striker grew up with the Arabic dialect spoken in northeastern Algeria.
However, it shows once again that football can be done without many words. For coach Ralph Hasenhüttl, Amoura is “already a weapon we have there.” And so the lightning-fast attacker should also play a leading role in today’s home game (8.30 p.m./at the NDR Livecenter) against Kiel.
Holstein Kiel continues to upgrade its defense
It fits into the picture that the opponent struck again on the transfer market immediately before the northern duel: With Ivan Nekic, the Kiel team already has the third new defensive player in this change period after David Zec (NK Celje) and John Tolkin (New York RB). obligated.
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-Rapp: “I have no more wishes”
KSV coach Marcel Rapp weighs it down: Nekic has to arrive in Kiel first. But after Zec has already featured three times for the Holsteiners, Tolkin, who has so far only made headlines off the pitch, could be an option against Wolfsburg, according to his new coach. No further new additions are to be expected: “These are players who can realistically be implemented in Holstein Kiel. I have no more wishes.” So the existing staff has to stop Amoura and Co.
In Wolfsburg it is important to find the middle between the exhilarating performance against Dortmund (4:2) and the disappointment against Hoffenheim (1:3): “It wasn’t a good game against Hoffenheim. But it wasn’t nearly like that bad, as one thought,” said Rapp. “The Dortmund game wasn’t so good that it was completely over.”
Hasenhüttl’s warning: The people of Kiel keep going
In any case, Hasenhüttl warned urgently against taking the second-to-last in the table lightly? “Everyone thinks this is a must-win. But it’s far from it,” said the 57-year-old Austrian. Kiel “never gives up and always keeps going. We need a very concentrated performance.”
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Communication with Amoura? With “body language”!
While the Kiel team will do everything they can to stay in the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg’s priority is not to lose touch with the international places. “There are so many good teams with so much quality. If you want to be at the forefront at the end, a lot has to be right,” said Hasenhüttl: “We have a good opportunity. But there is still a very long way to go. “
Last but not least, Amoura should become a bargaining chip in this way. And the coach has long since found ways and means when it comes to communication: “We can manage it – with body language. Hugs, smiles, high fives. And he also understands an angry facial expression if I don’t like something.” But that has rarely been the case recently.
Possible lineups
VfL Wolfsburg: Grabara – Fischer, Vavro, Koulierakis, Maehle – Arnold – Dardai, Gerhardt – Tiago Tomas, Amoura – Wind
Holstein Kiel: Weiner – Becker, Zec, Komenda – Rosenboom, Remberg, Knudsen, Porath – Bernhardsson, Machino – Harres
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