Wolfsburg can boost their European hopes with victory
over a bruised Borussia Dortmund side recovering from a midweek loss to Real
Madrid.
Following a run of four games without defeat, Wolfsburg
sit just outside the UEFA Champions League places - a point behind
fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen.
Anything other than a Leverkusen victory at Hamburg on
Friday would allow Wolfsburg to move into the top four and improve their
chances of reaching Europe's premier club competition for only the second time
in their history.
While they face a Dortmund side second in the table,
eager to finish above rivals Schalke, Jurgen Klopp's men could still be reeling
from Wednesday's 3-0 Champions League loss at the Bernabeu.
Not only did the defeat highlight how much injuries have
hampered Dortmund this term, compared to last season when they beat Real over
two legs, it also saw goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller and midfielder Marco Reus
pick up further knocks.
They are doubts for Klopp as he looks to help secure
Dortmund's place in next season's Champions League against a Wolfsburg team who
won the reverse fixture 2-1 at the Volkswagen Arena.
That loss was the second of three in a row during
November for Dortmund, whose form has been generally impressive since the turn
of the year.
And Klopp is determined to ensure that his side finish
runners-up behind Bayern Munich.
"We want to finish second, I've said (before). I
couldn't care less who finishes third," he said.
"Wolfsburg have some tough games coming up, not just
against us. There is pressure on every game right now."
Having recovered from a blip at the start of March, which
saw them ship 12 goals in two games against Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich,
Wolfsburg have steadied the ship somewhat.
Dieter Hecking's charges have not tasted defeat against
Dortmund in their last three meetings and the coach is eager to secure
Champions League qualification.
"We want to be fourth. We want to seize the
opportunity," he said this week.
Experienced striker Ivica Olic, who scored the winner
when the sides last met, echoed the thoughts of his coach, saying: "Of
course, it would be a great dream if we can achieve that at the end of the
season.
"If we carry on like this, anything is
possible."
Culled from Soccerway
0 comments:
Post a Comment