SC Paderborn 07 vs Wolfsburg preview - Paderborn have their belief back

Paderborn coach Andre Breitenreiter has sung the praises of his players as they prepare for their next 'final' in the battle to avoid the drop straight back down to the second division.

Two wins and a draw from their last four matches have given the East Westphalians a real chance of staying up and they prepare to host second-placed Wolfsburg this Sunday with their coach convinced his team are capable of doing the unimaginable.

"I can see the fire burning inside my players' eyes again," said Breitenreiter, whose side are 16th but now level on points with Freiburg above them. "In our own stadium, we want to carry on from where we have left off recently.

"I am convinced that we can do it. I believe in our strength, which is back again."

Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking shares Breitenreiter's belief that these two clubs will be meeting again in the league next season, even if he would prefer them to secure their status in their final two games of the season.

"Their overall package is sufficient [to stay up]," Hecking said. "They are very engaged and cover a lot of ground, never holding back in the tackles.

"Furthermore, they have a high footballing quality, particularly down the wings and from set pieces.

"It may be surprising for many that Paderborn are still in the running, but not for me."

However, his primary concern is ensuring the Wolves keep hold of their second place and qualify directly for the group stage of next season's Champions League.

Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen are in a three-team fight for two automatic group stage berths with the loser having to go through a play-off. Wolfsburg are two points clear of Gladbach and four above Leverkusen.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned by what is going on behind us, but we really shouldn't be looking at it," Hecking said.

"We've just got to keep our own focus."