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 16th March | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Chelsea vs Inter Milan |
| 19:45 | Sevilla vs CSKA Moscow |
| Wednesday 17th March | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Barcelona vs VfB Stuttgart |
| 19:45 | Bordeaux vs Olympiacos |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 10th March | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Real Madrid 1 - 1 Lyon | |
| Man Utd 4 - 0 AC Milan | |
| Tuesday 9th March | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Fiorentina 3 - 2 Bayern Munich | |
| Arsenal 5 - 0 FC Porto | |
| Wednesday 24th February | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| CSKA Moscow 1 - 1 Sevilla | |
| Inter Milan 2 - 1 Chelsea | |
| Tuesday 23rd February | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| VfB Stuttgart 1 - 1 Barcelona | |
| Olympiacos 0 - 1 Bordeaux | |
| Wednesday 17th February | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| FC Porto 2 - 1 Arsenal | |
| Bayern Munich 2 - 1 Fiorentina | |
| Tuesday 16th February | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Lyon 1 - 0 Real Madrid | |
| AC Milan 2 - 3 Man Utd | |
| Wednesday 9th December | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Liverpool 1 - 2 Fiorentina | |
| Lyon 4 - 0 Debrecen | |
| Inter Milan 2 - 0 Rubin Kazan | |
| Dynamo Kiev 1 - 2 Barcelona | |
| VfB Stuttgart 3 - 1 Unirea Urziceni | |
| Sevilla 1 - 0 Rangers | |
| Olympiacos 1 - 0 Arsenal | |
| Standard Liege 1 - 1 AZ | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | CSKA Moscow | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | Wolfsburg | 6 | 7 |
| 4 | Besiktas | 6 | 4 |
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