Twente - match preview

Rutten has respect for Twente's attacking trio

Fred Rutten spent almost 25 years as a player and coach at FC Twente in Enschede. Now set to return to his former stomping ground with the Royal Blues, he issued the following warning: "We can't afford to go there and underestimate them.

"I know around 90 percent of the players from last season", said Rutten, who is well aware of the Tukkers' qualities. "When they're up against a big club Twente have a tradition of being able to focus totally on the opposition and raise their game to a much higher level. Let that be a warning to us."

In the run-up to the game Rutten has been bombarded by text messages from his home country. "It was the same before the game against Manchester City because obviously they wanted us to beat them", he recalled. "But now we need to win at Twente to ensure we don't have to rely on results elsewhere on the final matchday."

According to Rutten, Twente's philosophy has essentially remained the same since he left the Netherlands. And the Schalke boss feels they are at their strongest on the flanks. "In Marko Arnautovic and Eljero Elia Twente have two very good attacking wide men who are fast, tricky and excellent dribblers", he explained. "Blaise N'Kufo is always capable of scoring as well."

Rutten also mentioned the special atmosphere at the Grolsch Veste. "Twente have very enthusiastic fans who are always 200 percent motivated and always get behind their team no matter how the game is going", he said. "I remember one home game when we were losing 2-0, but the fans gave us such incredible support they won the match for us. Without them we would never have scored three times."

Irrespective of the conditions that await the Royal Blues in Enschede, however, one thing is certain: "We want to still be in this competition in 2009", added Rutten. And despite the defeat at VfB Stuttgart on Sunday, he is convinced his side are strong enough mentally to do well in Enschede. "Besides, playing in the UEFA Cup is always something different to playing in the Bundesliga."