Wolves to play Leipzig in preseason friendly at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium Saturday
While Inter Miami is away playing a Leagues Cup game against Tigres in Houston, the team’s home stadium will be put to good use as English Premier League team Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) and German Bundesliga team Leipzig play a preseason friendly on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The Wolves’ season kicks off Aug. 17 on the road against Arsenal and Leipzig opens Aug. 24 against Bochum. Leipzig finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season and Wolves finished 14th in the EPL.
Four Leipzig players who did not travel are Benjamin Henrichs and David Raum of the German national team, who are on holiday after the European Championships; Castello Lukeba, who is with France at the Olympics; Christoph Baumgartner, who is injured; and Spanish attacker Dani Olmo, who is rumored to be headed to Barcelona.
Both teams are integrating new players during their U.S. camps. Wolves added Rodrigo Gomes, a 21-year-old winger from Portugal who scored two goals in a 3-1 preseason win over West Ham. Leipzig signed Belgian goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt and 18-year-old midfielder Assan Ouedraogo.
“We are here to work,” said Leipzig coach Marco Rose. “We are preparing for a tough season with Champions League, Bundesliga and Cup. It’s a challenge for us because of the travel, it’s a little new for us because it’s really, really hot here, but it’s been a very valuable camp.”
Wolves’ newly-named captain Mario Lemina said playing a Champions League team like Leipzig will help them prepare for their season opener against Arsenal.
“They are the same level as Arsenal, a really good team, really good shape and understanding of the game,” Lemina said. “We have to show our quality, as well, so it should be really good game.”
Wolves have been training in South Florida for two weeks, and squeezed in some golf, beach time, a boat tour around Fort Lauderdale and an airboat ride in the Everglades. Lemina joked that he skipped the airboat ride and sat by the hotel pool instead because he is afraid of alligators. Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham visited with the Wolves team at their training session on Friday.
Lemina, who is from Gabon and is close friends with LAFC’s Gabonese star Denis Bouanga, was asked if the perception of MLS has changed in Europe. He replied: “Yes, it is very respected now in Europe. A lot of foreigners are coming to this league and it’s getting really important. I like they way they do things, as well, a little bit like the NBA. The do the All-Star Game and stuff. I woke up to watch it and it’s quite interesting. I have friends playing here that really enjoy the life here.”
Four players recently returned from national team duty, Nelson Semedo (Portugal), Pedro Neto (Portugal), Jose Sa (Portugal) and Joao Gomes (Brazil). They did not play in the U.S. games against West Ham and Crystal Palace (a 3-1 loss), but are expected to get minutes on Saturday.
“The heat and some of the travel meant we’ve done a bit less work than ideal, but on the flip side we got to spend a real good time together,” said Wolves coach Gary O’Neil “Some real good bonding. Some of the coaches went on the (airboat) ride and saw a couple of alligators. They loved it.”
Tickets for the Wolves vs. Leipzig match start at $15 and are available at TicketMaster.com
This story was originally published August 2, 2024 at 6:22 PM.