Hecking: Wolfsburg-PSV not a decider
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Article summary
Group B may be locked with all four teams on three points but Dieter Hecking says Wolfsburg's home game with PSV Eindhoven is not must-win. Phillip Cocu sees things differently.
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- Dieter Hecking does not see Wolfsburg's meeting with PSV as must-win
- PSV hope to end a 14-game winless run away to German clubs
- All four teams in Group B have picked up three points so far
- Wolfsburg are 27 Bundesliga fixtures unbeaten at home
Possible lineup
Wolfsburg: Benaglio; Träsch, Naldo, Dante, Rodríguez; Gustavo, Guilavogui; Caligiuri, Draxler, Kruse; Dost.
Out: Knoche (ankle), Felipe (foot)
PSV: Zoet; Brenet, Moreno, Bruma, Poulsen; Guardado, Hendrix, Pröpper; Pereiro, De Jong, Narsingh.
Out: Lestienne (family bereavement), Willems (knee), Jozefzoon (knee), Koch (knee/meniscus), Arias (suspended)
Dieter Hecking, Wolfsburg coach
No matter what the score is, it won't start to decide our group. Of course we would be in a stronger position [than PSV] with a win, but it is not our duty to win. We want to win.
PSV have a well-balanced team, very lively. And for this we need good answers on the pitch. Even if we win, though, nothing will have been decided in the group because there are three more matches to play. That's why we play game by game. We will have chance to win tomorrow. But even if we lose, we will have a good chance of going through.
Phillip Cocu, PSV coach
We have to give our all and travel back home with three points. We shouldn't be afraid of anything. We just have to minimise our mistakes and produce the necessary quality.
Our match against Manchester United demonstrated that we can survive in this competition and these two games against Wolfsburg could decide which of us goes through to the knockout stage.
Weekend results
Wolfsburg 4-2 Hoffenheim (Kruse 1 62 83, Dost 7; Toljan 29, Schmid 54)
The Wolves are into the top four after Max Kruse sealed victory with his first Bundesliga hat-trick. Kruse struck in the first minute after being set up by Julian Draxler, who then made the second for Bas Dost. Jeremy Toljan and Jonathan Schmid scored either side of half-time to level but Kruse swiftly restored the lead and got his third in the 83rd minute after good work by André Schürrle.
PSV 1-1 Excelsior (Pröpper 62; Hasselbaink 90+2)
Former PSV player Nigel Hasselbaink equalised deep in added time to stop his former club rising to second place. Davy Pröpper's 62nd-minute goal seemed to have kept PSV within two points of leaders Ajax on a day when Luuk de Jong returned from injury.
Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Wolfsburg: WLLDLW
PSV: DWLWWL
Did you know?
The Dutch team have not won any of their last 14 away matches against Bundesliga sides, a sequence stretching back to 1977; find out more in our extensive match background.