“Take it up a notch”

VfL Wolfsburg bring the curtain down on Matchday 24 when they welcome Union Berlin to the Volkswagen Arena on Sunday 12 March (kick-off 19:30 CET). The teams face each other for the third time this season – Union won 2-0 on Matchday 7 before knocking the Wolves out of the DFB Cup in January. VfL boss Niko Kovac faced the media at his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, answering questions on…

…personnel: “Maxence Lacroix is on the mend. I expect him to take part in the final training session tomorrow, then we’ll decide whether he can play. The only player missing due to injury at the moment is Bartol Franjic.”

…Maximilian Arnold’s absence: “In the Bundesliga you miss a game after picking up five yellow cards, which is what’s happened here. It’s a loss, but I think we’ll manage fine because whoever takes Max’s place will give their all.”

…VfL’s third attempt at beating Union this season: “You can’t afford to make any mistakes against them. When they take the lead, it’s difficult to break through their compact shape and beat them. We also need to be clinical with the opportunities that fall our way. I hope we can take things up a notch compared to our last two games against them.”

…the visitors’ recent results: “Union are in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup, third in the league and in the last 16 of the Europa League, so they’re competing on three fronts. They may have failed to score in their last three league games but we’re not going to be lulled into a false sense of security. We know we need to give our all and stand up to them physically.”

…a possible 200th VfL appearance for Yannick Gerhardt: “He’s in really good shape physically. He’s able to make deep runs – something he’s always relished – on a more regular basis, which means he’s in the box more often and able to score goals. I’m pleased with his development.”