Sporting v Wolfsburg background
Friday, February 20, 2015
Article summary
Despite a two-goal deficit, Sporting Clube de Portugal have hope of pushing in-form VfL Wolfsburg close if they can maintain their recent home record against German opposition.
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Article body
Sporting Clube de Portugal must continue their improved home form against German opposition if they are to be in with a chance of overturning a two-goal first-leg deficit against a VfL Wolfsburg outfit possessing one of Europe's most in-form forwards, Bas Dost.
Previous meetings
• The sides met for the first time in European competition in the first leg, where Dost continued his remarkable scoring form to ensure a 2-0 win for Wolfsburg. A second-half pair for the Dutchman made it ten goals in his last six outings in all competitions.
• Sporting failed to win in their first eight home games against German sides (D4 L4), but have now won their last two home fixtures against Bundesliga clubs.
• Sporting have faced other German opponents this season, losing 4-3 away and winning 4-2 at home to FC Schalke 04 in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
• Wolfsburg triumphed 3-2 at SC Braga in their only previous European game against Portuguese opposition.
Form guide
• Sporting have lost just once in their last 19 European home games – 1-0 to Chelsea FC in this season's UEFA Champions League group stage.
• Sporting have not lost any of their 19 UEFA Europa League home games, group stage to final – a competition record sequence.
• Wolfsburg's away games this season have brought plenty of goals; they lost 4-1 at Everton FC, then won 4-2 at FC Krasnodar and 3-0 at LOSC Lille.
Trivia and links
• Wolfsburg boast Portuguese talent in the form of forward Vierinha, while their Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio also played in Portugal, representing CD Nacional from 2005 until 2008, when he joined Wolfsburg.
• Sporting attacker Diego Capel, who turned 27 on 16 February, can make his 50th UEFA club competition appearance in the second leg.
The coaches
• Lisbon-born Sporting coach Marco Silva spent the best years of his career as a left-back at Estoril Praia, where he moved swiftly into coaching after hanging up his boots in 2011. After winning promotion to the Liga in his first term, fifth and fourth-placed finishes in subsequent campaigns prompted Sporting to select Silva as their new boss when Leonardo Jardim left for AS Monaco FC in summer 2014.
• At one stage a lower-league midfielder and trainee policeman, Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking is back in Europe for the first time since steering second-tier TSV Alemannia Aachen into the 2004/05 UEFA Cup group phase. More recently, he has coached Hannover 96 and 1. FC Nürnberg, taking up his current post in December 2012.
