Overview
- Wolfsburg and SC Paderborn played to a 0–0 draw at the Volkswagen Arena on Thursday, leaving the two-leg playoff evenly poised ahead of the return match.
- Paderborn defender Jonah Stecker picked up a second yellow in stoppage time and is suspended for the second leg, removing a regular from their back line for Monday’s match.
- Paderborn produced a compact, disciplined defensive display that frustrated Wolfsburg and also missed a clear chance when Filip Bilbija failed to convert late in the first leg.
- Wolfsburg, managed in a second spell by Dieter Hecking, arrive under pressure after a turbulent season but retain the psychological edge of having never been relegated in their 81-year history.
- The return leg in East Westphalia on Whit Monday will decide which club takes the final place in the 2026/27 Bundesliga under the competition’s two-leg promotion‑relegation format that pits the 16th‑placed top‑flight side against the 3rd‑placed second‑division team.