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As the 2025/26 Bundesliga season fades into the rearview mirror, the final act of the German football calendar promises high drama. While the championship was decided weeks ago, the true theatre of nerves begins this week: the relegation/promotion play-offs.
VfL Wolfsburg, a club synonymous with top-flight stability, stand 180 minutes away from an unprecedented fall. Standing in their way? A hungry, history-chasing SC Paderborn 07 side that has heard every doubt imaginable.
Ahead of Thursday’s first leg at the Volkswagen Arena, Touchline Sports breaks down the battle lines—and hears from the two men who will define it.
We Haven’t Earned the Right to Look Past Paderborn – Hecking
When Dieter Hecking returned to the Wolfsburg dugout in March, the mission was simple: prevent the Wolves’ first-ever relegation from the Bundesliga. On Matchday 34, a tense 3-1 victory over FC St. Pauli secured 16th place and a lifeline.
Yet for the 61-year-old veteran, the job is far from complete. Speaking exclusively to Touchline Sports, Hecking refused to treat Paderborn as anything less than a genuine threat.
“Winning this game today shows Paderborn’s quality,” Hecking said, referencing SCP’s 2-0 final-day victory at Darmstadt that sealed third place in Bundesliga 2. “They will demand everything from us. We mustn’t let up one bit.”
Wolfsburg have a flawless play-off record—dispatching Eintracht Braunschweig (2017) and Holstein Kiel (2018). But history offers no guarantees. And Hecking knows his side’s late-season rally means nothing if they stumble now.
“We haven’t earned the right to look past anyone. Paderborn earned this chance. Now we have to prove we belong in the Bundesliga—not on paper, but on the pitch.”
The 0.01% Mentality: Kettemann’s Calculated Gamble
If Wolfsburg carry the weight of expectation, Paderborn carry something arguably more dangerous: nothing to lose.
Ralf Kettemann, the Paderborn head coach, delivered the quote of the season during his post-match press conference after securing the play-off spot. Speaking to Touchline Sports, he doubled down on his now-famous claim.
“Let’s be honest: if you asked a million Germans who would win these two games, probably 999,900 would say Wolfsburg. So we are definitely the underdog—and that can sometimes help.”
Kettemann’s side have been here before. Twice promoted to the Bundesliga (2014/15, 2019/20). Twice relegated after a single season. This time, he insists, the approach is different.
“We’re not chasing respect. We’re chasing survival. For 90 minutes in Paderborn, we want Wolfsburg to feel uncomfortable. Not nervous—uncomfortable. There’s a difference.”
Paderborn ended a four-game winless streak on the final day exactly when it mattered most. Momentum, Kettemann argues, is overrated. Clarity is not.
“My players know the script: everyone expects us to lose. That means we can play free. Wolfsburg? They have everything to protect. That pressure is real.”
Two-Legged Tension: Dates, Venues & Stakes
The format is unforgiving. No room for error.
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First Leg (Thursday, 21 May – 20:30 CEST): VfL Wolfsburg vs. SC Paderborn 07 – Volkswagen Arena
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Second Leg (Monday, 25 May – 20:30 CEST): SC Paderborn 07 vs. VfL Wolfsburg – Home Bend (Paderborn)
For Wolfsburg, it is their third play-off in ten years. For Paderborn, it is a shot at history: a third Bundesliga stint, and this time, a chance to stay.
Around the Traps: Furth vs. Essen in 2. Liga Play-Off
While the Bundesliga play-off grabs headlines, the 2. Liga relegation battle is equally compelling. SpVgg Greuther Fürth—who finished 16th despite a commanding 3-0 final-day win over Fortuna Düsseldorf—will travel to Rot-Weiss Essen on Friday, 22 May.
Essen missed automatic promotion from the 3. Liga on goal difference, despite beating SSV Ulm. Now, they stand 20 years away from their last 2. Liga appearance.
“Two clubs, two different kinds of pain,” a Bundesliga media insider told Touchline Sports. “That’s German football in May. Beautiful and brutal.”
The Final Verdict
Wolfsburg have the individual quality. Paderborn have the collective chip on their shoulder. Hecking has the experience. Kettemann has the freedom of zero expectations.
As one Bundesliga veteran put it privately:
The team that handles the first 20 minutes of the first leg wins this tie. If Paderborn survive that, Wolfsburg will hear the doubt creeping in.”
For now, one question lingers: Will the Wolves howl—or go silent?
