Momentum key as Wolfsburg and Gent meet again
Monday, March 7, 2016
Article summary
Two late first-leg goals salvaged Gent hopes and though Dieter Hecking is cautious, he says his Wolfsburg side are in the box seat and ready to nip the visitors' dreams in the bud.
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Article body
- Dieter Hecking warns Gent that Julian Draxler is "on top form"
- Draxler, though, is a slight doubt and Wolfsburg are also sweating on fitness of Max Kruse
- Gent scored twice in last 11 minutes to cut deficit from 3-0 to 3-2 in first leg
- Gent centre-back Stefan Mitrović, ever-present this European campaign, ruled out
- Both teams in UEFA Champions League knockout stage for first time
Possible lineups
Wolfsburg: Casteels; Träsch, Knoche, Dante, Rodriguez; Guilavogui, Gustavo; Schürrle, Arnold, Draxler (Vieirinha); Kruse (Caligiuri).
Out: Naldo (Shoulder), Jung (knee), Dost (foot), Seguin (ankle), Benaglio (rib)
Doubtful: Draxler (knee), Kruse (thigh)
Misses next match if booked: Caligiuri
Gent: Sels; Asare, Gershon, Nielsen; Kums, Neto; Dejaegere, Milicevic, Foket; Simon, Depoitre.
Doubtful: Wikheim (quadriceps), Van Der Bruggen (hip), Depoitre (unspecified)
Out: Mitrović (foot), Vandenbussche (shoulder)
Misses next match if booked: Asare, Depoitre, Foket, Saief, Kums
Dieter Hecking, Wolfsburg coach
As I said before the first leg: we need two good days to go through to the next round. We've had one, now we need another. We are in a pretty good situation and we're full of confidence. But we've won nothing yet. Gent will give it their all and we have to nip their dreams in the bud.
Going through to the next round would be historic for our club, but the same is true of Gent. And we should not make the mistake of thinking about the next round yet anyway. We have to play one more match and we can't afford to be carefree.
Julian Draxler has made the next step up here at Wolfsburg over the last few weeks. He is on top form. As his confidence rises, his doubts have vanished. He can decide matches on his own, as he has shown recently.
Hein Vanhaezebrouck, Gent coach
We made a lot of mistakes in the first leg. We have to minimise them but even if we do, Wolfsburg are a very strong team at home – they rarely lose there. That's what we have to keep in mind, knowing how difficult the task will be. But that does not mean I give up.
As everybody knows, miracles happen in football from time to time. If we can take the lead, who knows what will happen? If Wolfsburg take the lead, the task becomes even more difficult for us. We have to be focused from the start but we won't change anything. We could, but we won't.
Weekend results
Wolfsburg 2-1 Monchengladbach (Draxler 15, Kruse 17; Raffael 23)
Draxler netted for a second successive Bundesliga game as the Wolves, in seventh, recorded a third triumph in five league outings. Dieter Hecking's side are now four points off the top four and a UEFA Champions League qualifying berth.
Gent 1-1 Leuven (Boussoufa 68; Trossard 52)
Vanhaezebrouck's team looked set for a shock defeat until Mbark Boussoufa's second goal in four league matches rescued a point. Gent are therefore two points adrift of Belgian First League leaders Club Brugge.
Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Wolfsburg: WWLDWW
Gent: DWLLWL
Reporter's view: Paul Bryan (@UEFAcomPaulB)
Gent face a difficult task in Lower Saxony and with Wolfsburg beginning to click at a crucial moment in the season, this UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie is ultimately theirs to lose.
Did you know?
Gent have faced German opponents on two occasions and won away from home each time. Find out more in our match background.