Hasenhüttl optimistic about Arnold return | OneFootball

In front of the media following a training session at the Volkswagen Arena grounds on Thursday, Wolfsburg coach Ralph Hasenhüttl updated on the injuries of Maximilian Arnold, Kamil Grabara, and others, as well as how Die Wölfe will fare against the relegation-fighting St. Pauli on Saturday afternoon.

The 57-year-old former Austrian international said about Arnold, “It looks good; yes, he can still feel the injury when he makes one or two movements, but he is enduring it".

Regarding when his return to the field will be, Hasenhüttl stated, “We will ultimately decide on that together - I am in good contact with him, and I know how important he is to us.”

As for Polish goalkeeper Kamil Grabara, who has been out with a right thigh injury following a match away at Eintracht Frankfurt last month, it has become clear that he will not be starting this Saturday and that Marius Müller is projected to take the starting spot once again, but Hasenhüttl said that there is progress being made with him.

“Things are looking similarly well for Grabara,” Hasenhüttl said in the press conference. “He has been working intensely with [goalkeeping coach] Pascal Formann this week, the reaction so far has been quite positive. However, he will not be playing this weekend."

Arnold and Grabara are not the only two players injured currently, as Brazilian left-back Rogério is also out with an injury; American left-back Kevin Paredes is still recovering from a foot surgery; Lukas Nmecha has been unable to play more than 5 minutes per match in recent weeks due to adductor pain; and Croatian attacking midfielder Lovro Majer has been out with various muscle issues since November, around the time that Wolfsburg last faced St. Pauli.

Regarding these four, Hasenhüttl said, “Rogério is on the right track, he has been training with our team all week, and is doing just about everything. Paredes has recently been partially integrated into our training sessions. Majer, on the other hand, is not looking too good - still dealing with issues. Nmecha is also undergoing rehabilitation, and will not be available at this moment."

As for the St. Pauli match and the situation around the club following the DFB-Pokal quarterfinal exit to RB Leipzig, Hasenhüttl said to reporters, “We found a few approaches that can free us from our negative mindset - it will be all about being patient, bringing some intensity to our matches.”

It should be mentioned that all-time in Bundesliga competition, dating back to 2001, VfL Wolfsburg have never defeated FC St. Pauli in the five matches they took part in, going 0-4-1 with that loss being the year after (1-1, 1-3, 1-1, 2-2, 0-0). Wolfsburg have defeated St. Pauli once, 3-1 in a friendly in 2018. The most recent match between the two was a 0-0 draw on 26. October 2024.

Wolfsburg host St. Pauli at the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday, with the time of kickoff being 15.30 (CET). A win, plus a defeat for one of SC Freiburg or RB Leipzig, likely puts Wolfsburg into the Europa League or Europa Conference League place going into the 26th round.