Wolfsburg vs Gent - Both sides retain hope of creating UCL history

Posted Tuesday, March 08, 2016 by PA

Wolfsburg director of sport Klaus Allofs is confident of creating more history when they meet Gent in the second leg of their Champions League tie on Tuesday.

Reaching the last 16 of Europe's elite club competition is already a first for both clubs, which means the side who progress will pen another glorious chapter in their history.

Wolfsburg go into the game as favourites, not only thanks to a 3-2 win in Ghent in the first leg, but thanks to a recent upturn in form in the Bundesliga.

A 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach at the weekend has got them back into contention for renewed Champions League qualification next season, and they are confident of keeping a second route into the competition alive by beating their Belgian rivals.

"We established a good situation with the result in Ghent and that was a very good performance from us," said Allofs.

"We can go into this game with a lot of self-confidence, but we also know the tie's not over yet.

"If we play the way we did at the weekend, though, then we will go through.

"We want to show who's in control in our own stadium and not let our opponents impose themselves."

The Wolves appear to have put their troubles behind them this season with the league table making slightly better reading.

"We've edged up the standings and we've got nine league games left to reach our goal, which is why this was an important win," said Julian Draxler, who scored two in Belgium and was on target again at the weekend.

"Our determined attitude of desperately wanting to win has also given me confidence for the coming weeks, and I think we can get even better."

That may not be entirely necessary with just a draw or even a 1-0 or 2-1 defeat enough to see the Wolves through to the quarter-finals.

Josuha Guilavogui does not want to leave things up to chance, though, and he has called for a repeat of Wolfsburg's last home performance on the European stage, when they eliminated Manchester United before Christmas.

"It's pretty simple: we win, and we're through - and that's what we'll be aiming for," he said on his club's website.

The situation is equally simple to decipher for Gent, even if it is not so easy for them to obtain the result they need to go through.

That does not mean they are heading to Wolfsburg without any hope, however, with their midfielder Renato Neto saying while there is a slight chance, they will try to take it.

"We all need to believe together," he said on uefa.com. "We know how difficult it will be - they'll be playing at home with their fans, but we will go there with belief and try to get the best result.

"We've already made history in the competition, and now we have to hope for better.

"We've already achieved a lot and surprised a lot of people. And from now on, we need to maintain our focus."