Wolfsburg vs Hertha BSC Berlin preview - Hecking expects stern test

Posted Saturday, February 21, 2015 by PA

Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking believes his side are going to be faced with tough test to break down Hertha Berlin this Sunday.

When the sides met earlier this season, the Wolves fell to a 1-0 defeat in the capital.

"We now have the chance to iron that out," Hecking said at the pre-match press conference.

"They won in Mainz out of a very good defensive organisation and that is what you have got to expect from Hertha right now."

The Wolves have shown lately that they are capable of scoring against any opponents, however, and after Thursday's 2-0 win over Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League they will be keen to continue their rich vein of form to keep up their pursuit of league leaders Bayern Munich.

Wolfsburg's last defeat came against Everton at the end of November. Since that Europa League group game, they have won eight and drawn three.

"Wolfsburg are probably playing the best football around right now," acknowledged Berlin coach Pal Dardai, hinting also that Hecking may be right in his assumptions.

"(Bas) Dost and (Kevin) De Bruyne are in top form and we're going to have to double up and be tight.

"We're going to have to play the way we did against Mainz and be united. We can only be successful if we help each other out. If each player thinks only of himself, then we're going to have problems."

That may have been the case last weekend when Hertha were beaten 2-0 at home by Freiburg, but defenders Jens Hegeler and John Brooks have been taken out of the firing line by Dardai.

"They have my faith," he said. "I'm not going to change things every week."