Position
When Dieter Hecking took over as the VfL coach in the Hinrunde immediately before the home game against Bayer 04, Bochum had lost eight of their first nine games in the Bundesliga and only secured one draw. The gap between the team then at the bottom of the table to the play-off place was seven points. VfL Bochum started their comeback against the Werkself with a late goal from Koji Miyoshi on 89 minutes earning a point in a 1-1 draw.
VfL are currently sixteenth in the table, which was a distant target back then. However, the situation at Castroper Straße is still not relaxed. But under Hecking, born in Castrop-Rauxel, hope has returned to the club from the Ruhr steeped in tradition. The 60-year-old has won 19 points in 17 games with his team. VfL would have been mid-table in the Hinrunde with that points return. But the realistic target now is staying up. Bochum are five points away from a non-relegation position. That is achievable with eight games to play. Particularly as the Blue and Whites have made people sit up and pay attention over the past few weeks with impressive performances and results. Especially against teams from the top half of the table. In the opening match in the Rückrunde, Bochum came from 3-0 down at half-time against RB Leipzig to draw 3-3. A 2-0 win in the derby against Borussia Dortmund was followed by a point at VfL Wolfsburg (1-1).
Bochum achieved a dramatic result at the start of the month. Away to the record champions FC Bayern, they turned round a 2-0 deficit with goals from Jakov Medic, Ibrahima Sissoko and Matus Bero to secure a spectacular 3-2 win and inflict the first home defeat on the league leaders in the Bundesliga this season. "It feels like ten points even though it's only three," rejoiced VfL keeper Timo Horn after the win. VfL Bochum also impressed for large parts of the game in the recent 3-1 home defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt with their ability to come back shown again. After Gerrit Holtmann pulled a goal back at 2-1, the Eintracht keeper Kaua Santos prevented his team from going level when he pulled off a brilliant save to keep out a header from Dani de Witt in added time. "That would have been a 2-2 draw against an absolutely top team and a justified draw from my point of view," said Dieter Hecking after the game. "We delivered a passionate fight and battled for every metre." Eintracht Frankfurt scored a third goal just before the final whistle.
Personnel
Hecking gave his players the weekend off ahead of the final run-in of the season. Only four players were away on international duty with the rest of the squad able to relax. The new week of training started for VfL without left back Bernardo and midfielder Koji Miyoshi. The latter picked up a thigh injury in last week’s friendly against second division Preußen Münster (4-2). And the Brazilian Bernardo, who was suspended against Eintracht Frankfurt, may not be available again for the game against the Werkself. The 29-year-old has problems with his Achilles tendon and his knee.
Hecking is set to play Timo Horn again in goal as in recent weeks. The former FC Köln player replaced Patrick Drewes, sidelined by illness, in goal in the 2-0 win against Dortmund in the middle of February. Horn remained in goal after Drewes had recovered. The 31-year-old did make a crucial error in the 1-0 defeat to TSG Hoffenheim but again produced impressive performances against FC Bayern and Eintracht Frankfurt. In defence, Ivan Ordets could again play alongside Jakov Medic in central defence. Maximilian Wittek (left), Felix Passlack and Tim Oermann are available in the full-back positions. In recent weeks, Ibrahima Sissoko, Matus Bero and winter signing Tom Krauß (on loan from Mainz 05) were the first choice in midfield. Another new signing has also settled in: the striker Giorgos Masouras. Brought in on loan from Olympiacos in January 2025, the Greece international won the derby against BVB single-handed with a brace. Masouras has played alongside Philipp Hofmann in the last five games. Striker Myron Boadu is another option for the starting XI in Leverkusen on Friday night.
Problems
Goals continue to be conceded from opposition set pieces. VfL have conceded 17 goals this way. Only Holstein Kiel have let in more from set plays. Bochum have the third weakest defence in the league having let in 53 goals so far this term. The same applies to the stats in attack. VfL have only scored 27 goals to date – only Union Berlin (23) and FC St. Pauli (20) have found the back of the net less often. The Blue and Whites also present little threat from their own set plays with only six goals scored. And in terms of passing, VfL have the worst record in terms of passes made and also pass completion.
Performers
Football is primarily hard work. That approach is part of the VfL DNA as it reflects life in the Ruhr. The Blue and Whites have taken that to heart this season. The team have completed the highest number of duels per game with an average of 110. "The fans only expect one thing from us as players: That we give our all on the pitch and battle. People here never give up and I think that's really good," said Myron Boadu. The Dutchman with Ghanaian roots is on loan at VfL having arrived from AS Monaco in the summer of 2024. He was also on loan for six months at Twente Enschede before his move to Bochum.
Who knows where Bochum would be in the table if the 24-year-old striker had not been injured so often. Boadu scored seven goals for VfL in his first twelve Bundesliga matches with a goal every 88 minutes – an impressive record. That makes him the top goalscorer in his team. He scored a hat-trick in 14 minutes in the 3-3 draw at home to RB Leipzig that saw him level the scores on his own in the comeback from being 3-0 down. Three weeks later he scored both goals in the 2-2 draw with Holstein Kiel – within 123 seconds. He then missed the next four games with a thigh injury. Ahead of the international break, Boadu made a comeback of 30 minutes in the 3-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt. And in his 45 minutes in the friendly against Preußen Münster last week, he scored a goal and provided two assists in the 4-2 win. Boadu's return to the starting line-up is not only eagerly awaited by VfL fans. "You can see we definitely need him," said Dieter Hecking.
