Last updated: 3rd November 2009
Veh: Ready for tricky test
Besiktas and Wolfsburg lock horns in Turkey as the battle for second spot in UEFA Champions League Group B intensifies.
Manchester United are well placed to go through in first position after winning their first three fixtures but the other teams still have everything to play for.
Wolfsburg are currently second with four points, while Besiktas are bottom of the table and two points adrift of CSKA Moscow.
Having lost their opening two games, Besiktas got up and running with a hard-fought goalless draw against Wolfsburg in Germany a fortnight ago.
They will now be hoping to make home advantage count and coach Mustafa Denizli views Tuesday's clash as their most important in the whole group campaign.
"Arguably, the Wolfsburg game is the most valuable of all six games in the group," said Denizli.
"We want to claim victory and continue in the competition - we proved we were capable of that during the game in Germany."
Denizli will not be able to field a full-strength side as Filip Holosko (broken foot), Rıdvan Simsek (groin), Nihat Kahveci (hamstring), Ibrahim Toraman (knee) and Ismail Koybası (ankle) are all out injured.
Rodrigo Tello is also doubtful with a hamstring problem, while goalkeeper Rustu Recber is having trouble with his waist.
Wolfsburg head to Istanbul on the back of consecutive draws in the Bundesliga, while they have not lost in all competitions since being beaten at Old Trafford in September.
Coach Armin Veh is anticipating a tricky game but insists Wolfsburg will not be playing for just a point.
"This tie is very important for Besiktas and I expect them to play more attacking football compared to the first match in Germany," he explained.
"I won't take special measures in defence, but the midfielders will need to work more this time."
Grafite is suspended after being sent off in the last meeting between the sides, while a thigh injury will keep out Karim Ziani.
Besiktas v Wolfsburg. Click here to bet.| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 24th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 17:30 | Rubin Kazan vs Dynamo Kiev |
| 19:45 | AZ vs Olympiacos |
| 19:45 | Arsenal vs Standard Liege |
| 19:45 | Barcelona vs Inter Milan |
| 19:45 | Debrecen vs Liverpool |
| 19:45 | Fiorentina vs Lyon |
| 19:45 | Rangers vs VfB Stuttgart |
| 19:45 | Unirea Urziceni vs Sevilla |
| Wednesday 25th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 17:30 | CSKA Moscow vs Wolfsburg |
| 19:45 | AC Milan vs Marseille |
| 19:45 | Apoel Nicosia vs Atletico Madrid |
| 19:45 | Bayern Munich vs Maccabi Haifa |
| 19:45 | Bordeaux vs Juventus |
| 19:45 | FC Porto vs Chelsea |
| 19:45 | Man Utd vs Besiktas |
| 19:45 | Real Madrid vs FC Zurich |
| Tuesday 8th December | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Atletico Madrid vs FC Porto |
| 19:45 | Besiktas vs CSKA Moscow |
| 19:45 | Chelsea vs Apoel Nicosia |
| 19:45 | FC Zurich vs AC Milan |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 4th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Fiorentina 5 - 2 Debrecen | |
| Lyon 1 - 1 Liverpool | |
| Rubin Kazan 0 - 0 Barcelona | |
| Dynamo Kiev 1 - 2 Inter Milan | |
| Sevilla 1 - 1 VfB Stuttgart | |
| Unirea Urziceni 1 - 1 Rangers | |
| Arsenal 4 - 1 AZ | |
| Standard Liege 2 - 0 Olympiacos | |
| Tuesday 3rd November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Bayern Munich 0 - 2 Bordeaux | |
| Maccabi Haifa 0 - 1 Juventus | |
| Man Utd 3 - 3 CSKA Moscow | |
| Besiktas 0 - 3 Wolfsburg | |
| AC Milan 1 - 1 Real Madrid | |
| Marseille 6 - 1 FC Zurich | |
| Apoel Nicosia 0 - 1 FC Porto | |
| Atletico Madrid 2 - 2 Chelsea | |
| Wednesday 21st October | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Bordeaux 2 - 1 Bayern Munich | |
| Juventus 1 - 0 Maccabi Haifa | |
| CSKA Moscow 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Wolfsburg 0 - 0 Besiktas | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 4 | 10 |
| 2 | Wolfsburg | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | CSKA Moscow | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | Besiktas | 4 | 1 |
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