BERLIN — VfL Wolfsburg boosted their chances of Bundesliga football next season with a 3-1 victory over second division Holstein Kiel on Thursday in their relegation/promotion playoff first leg.

The 2009 Bundesliga champions, who won the German Cup in 2015, finished 16th in the top flight on the last day of the regular season to force a two-legged playoff with Kiel, third in the second division.

Holstein went into the game with the second division's best offense and a notable 71 goals in 34 matches but fell a goal down after 13 minutes when Divock Origi completed a swift move for the hosts.

Holstein leveled but the Wolves, who had to survive a relegation playoff last season, went back in front with Josip Brekalo's 18-meter shot six minutes later.

Belgian forward Origi then turned provider, powering into the box and sending Yunus Malli through for their third goal in the 56th minute and Holstein missed several good chances to cut the deficit.

Wolfsburg travel to Kiel on Monday for the return leg.

Don't ask me to coach

again, says Heynckes

Jupp Heynckes brings the curtain down on his fourth spell as Bayern Munich coach on Saturday, warning the German giants not to call on him again when he's 80.

Heynckes takes charge of Bayern for the final time in the German Cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt whose current boss Niko Kovac will take over the Munich hot seat. The 73-year-old Heynckes took charge in October for his fourth stint when Carlo Ancelotti was fired.

He could bow out with the league and cup double after Bayern won the Bundesliga title by a massive 21 points. "We want to put in a good performance for the fans and create another highlight," said Heynckes.

He also offered a warning to Kovac, his replacement for next season. "It is an incredibly labor-intensive, around-the-clock job," said Heynckes, who holds the record of 1,037 German league games as a player or coach.

"Being coach at Bayern is a great opportunity — but also a huge commitment."

However, he insists there will be no return for a fifth stint as coach. "FC Bayern should not ask again when I'm 80, that was definitively it for me," said Heynckes. "I will not have withdrawal symptoms and no boredom, I have a lot of hobbies."

Heynckes says he is looking forward to watching Football as a fan alongside his wife Iris and dog Cando at the family home in Schwalmtal, near Moenchengladbach. "That's what makes me happy, so it's easy for me to quit the job."

Heynckes oversaw his last training session in Munich on Thursday before the team flew to Berlin for the final and the message is clear. "If we have to say goodbye to our coach, then we want to do that with the double," said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Meanwhile, Bayern star Thomas Mueller is struggling to be fit for Saturday's game as he is suffering from gastroenteritis.

The 28-year-old missed training on Thursday while winger Arjen Robben, who has a groin strain, and Joshua Kimmich, with a mild infection, trained separately.

"I'll fly to Berlin, but whether I can play is still open," Robben told German daily Bild.

With one eye on next month's World Cup, Bayern fans' main hope for the final at Berlin's Olympic Stadium is that Germany captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will make his comeback after eight months sidelined by a fractured foot.

The 32-year-old is expected to start on the bench with Sven Ulreich in goal. - Agencies