week 24 - match preview

Rutten expects Wolves to attack

"Wolfsburg are one of the league's top sides and they're on a very good run of form at home", warned head coach Fred Rutten ahead of Friday's away fixture. Felix Magath's men have now won nine home matches in a row.

"The two strikers Grafite and Dzeko are quality players", the Schalke boss said. Grafite has scored 14 goals in 14 games so far this season, while Dzeko has hit the target 12 times in 21 matches. "It's going to be difficult, that's for certain", he continued. Nevertheless the Royal Blues travel to Lower Saxony in confident mood.

"Wolfsburg can be beaten, as Werder Bremen showed last week", said an upbeat Rutten. "And we've been very focused in the last few days. I now hope our concentration levels are so high that we can come away with a good result on Friday", said Rutten, adding that his players have shown that they are "really up for it" during training.

"I'm not interested in whether we're favourites going into the game or not. What's important is that Wolfsburg are capable of playing good football – but then again so are we." The fact that the squad contains a good blend of young and experienced players has put Rutten in a positive mood. "Our experience will be of great help", he concluded.