VfL Wolfsburg will get their first taste of what it feels like to play on the top European stage on Thursday evening when they play Inter Milan – a club with Champions League experience and steeped in tradition. The 18-time Italian champions are a shadow of their former self as the game is “only” in the Europa League, but that won’t affect the anticipation around the Niedersachsen club.
In fact, it will do the opposite. Wolfsburg, who currently sit in second in the Bundesliga and who are likely to be playing in the Champions League next season, believe they have a good chance against the Italian side. “They are a club steeped in tradition but they’ve shown that they have weaknesses this season. I believe that we’re not the outsiders,” explained sporting director Klaus Allofs. World Champion André Schürrle said ahead of the first leg on Thursday (19:00 CET): “I’m looking forward to an awesome game.”
Excitement on the plane at the draw
The reaction to the draw was something special. Wolfsburg were made aware of their next opponents on the way back from their second leg against Sporting Lisbon and cheers rung out across the plane.
Brazil international Luiz Gustavo has personal memories of their next opponents. The 27-year-old played in the last 16 of the Champions League for Bayern München against Inter almost four years ago to the day. His memories of what happened weren’t very good.
“It was my first Champions League game for Bayern. We won the first leg in Milan 2-1 but lost 3-2 at home and were knocked out. I don’t want a re-run of that,” said the Brazilian in an interview.
Inter’s best times are behind them
Inter’s team is nothing compared to what it was like back then. Stars like Samuel Eto’o and Wesley Sneijder are nowhere to be seen. World Champion Lukas Podolski isn’t registered for the Europa League. They are a distance away from the European places in Serie A and ninth place is not good enough for the 2010 Champions League winners.
“We have a good chance to get through. Inter are a very good side and we have a lot of respect for them,” said Luiz Gustavo, who went on to say: “I believe that it’s not only Inter but the whole of Italian football that is going through a difficult time. But Inter are still one of the biggest clubs in the world, who always have good players. Back then they had big names but they still have good players now.”
It’ll be interesting to see how four busy weeks in a row with affect Wolfsburg. They lost last weekend for the first time in eleven games. It was clear to see that they were drained during their 1-0 loss in Augsburg.
VfL Wolfsburg will get their first taste of what it feels like to play on the top European stage on Thursday evening when they play Inter Milan – a club with Champions League experience and steeped in tradition. The 18-time Italian champions are a shadow of their former self as the game is “only” in the Europa League, but that won’t affect the anticipation around the Niedersachsen club.
In fact, it will do the opposite. Wolfsburg, who currently sit in second in the Bundesliga and who are likely to be playing in the Champions League next season, believe they have a good chance against the Italian side. “They are a club steeped in tradition but they’ve shown that they have weaknesses this season. I believe that we’re not the outsiders,” explained sporting director Klaus Allofs. World Champion André Schürrle said ahead of the first leg on Thursday (19:00 CET): “I’m looking forward to an awesome game.”
Excitement on the plane at the draw
The reaction to the draw was something special. Wolfsburg were made aware of their next opponents on the way back from their second leg against Sporting Lisbon and cheers rung out across the plane.
Brazil international Luiz Gustavo has personal memories of their next opponents. The 27-year-old played in the last 16 of the Champions League for Bayern München against Inter almost four years ago to the day. His memories of what happened weren’t very good.
“It was my first Champions League game for Bayern. We won the first leg in Milan 2-1 but lost 3-2 at home and were knocked out. I don’t want a re-run of that,” said the Brazilian in an interview.
Inter’s best times are behind them
Inter’s team is nothing compared to what it was like back then. Stars like Samuel Eto’o and Wesley Sneijder are nowhere to be seen. World Champion Lukas Podolski isn’t registered for the Europa League. They are a distance away from the European places in Serie A and ninth place is not good enough for the 2010 Champions League winners.
“We have a good chance to get through. Inter are a very good side and we have a lot of respect for them,” said Luiz Gustavo, who went on to say: “I believe that it’s not only Inter but the whole of Italian football that is going through a difficult time. But Inter are still one of the biggest clubs in the world, who always have good players. Back then they had big names but they still have good players now.”
It’ll be interesting to see how four busy weeks in a row with affect Wolfsburg. They lost last weekend for the first time in eleven games. It was clear to see that they were drained during their 1-0 loss in Augsburg.
