week 6 - match preview

Royal Blues out to exploit Wolfsburg's defensive weaknesses

Royal Blues out to exploit Wolfsburg's defensive weaknesses

"I'm looking forward to seeing my old players again", said Felix Magath ahead of the clash with former club VfL Wolfsburg at the VELTINS Arena on Friday evening (2030 CET). "But it's just a game like any other", he added. "We want the three points to cement our position at the top end of the table."

There will still be some emotion involved, nevertheless. "I built that team and I had a good working relationship with the club in the two years I was there. We were very successful", the 56-year-old said, looking back on his time in Wolfsburg. "I haven't seen any of my former players since I left."

Magath will be keen to beat the reigning German champions after the Royal Blues came away empty-handed from their last home game against SC Freiburg. "I think we have a good chance because we'll be fresher than them", he said, referring to Wolfsburg's involvement in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Schalke manager obviously knows Friday's visitors inside and out. "It's almost exactly the same team as last season. And the handful of new signings are not unknown to me either", he said. He also feels Wolfsburg are not as bad as their league form might suggest. "Their three defeats have come against excellent teams and they were at least as good as the opposition if not better in those games. It would be very wrong to say they're in crisis. They're still capable of beating anyone."

Magath has particular respect for Wolfsburg's attacking troika of Misimovic, Grafite and Dzeko. "You can never keep them completely under control and they're always capable of scoring. But we'll be looking to attack, too, because Wolfsburg are struggling at the back. The statistics show that they're experiencing one or two problems there at the moment." Indeed, the Wolves have conceded eleven goals in their first five league matches.

He concluded by saying he wants to see his players battle for every ball. "We have to put on a show for the fans because they gave us excellent support in Cologne last Sunday. That will create the kind of atmosphere we need inside the Arena if we are to achieve our lofty goals."