Wolfsburg seek debut success

VfL Wolfsburg kick off their maiden UEFA Cup group-stage campaign by hosting an SC Heerenveen side looking to make up for a 3-1 home defeat against favourites AC Milan in their first Group E tie.

• This is Wolfsburg and Heerenveen's first meeting in UEFA club competition.

• Wolfsburg have played one previous tie against Dutch opponents, taking on Roda JC in the second round of the 1999/00 UEFA Cup. They drew 0-0 in the first leg in Kerkrade but won 1-0 at home, Ghanaian midfielder Charles Akonnor scoring the only goal three minutes from time.

• Heerenveen have played two games against German sides in Europe. They lost 2-0 at MSV Duisburg in the group stage of the 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup but beat VfB Stuttgart 1-0 at home in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup group stage.

• Wolfsburg's Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio was an unused substitute for Stuttgart in that latter game. Goalkeeper Brian Vandenbussche was the only member of the current Heerenveen squad involved.

• Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath has come up against Dutch sides as a player and a coach. During his time in charge at FC Bayern München, his side won 4-0 at home against AFC Ajax in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage, drawing 2-2 in Amsterdam.

• As a midfielder at Hamburger SV, Magath played in four UEFA club competition games against Dutch sides, winning two, drawing one and losing one.

• Magath was also in the West Germany side that beat the Netherlands 3-2 at the 1980 UEFA European Championship group stage, a game in which Klaus Allofs – now general manager at Werder Bremen – scored a hat-trick.

• Heerenveen's Norwegian coach Trond Sollied took charge of four games against German sides during his time at the helm of Club Brugge KV, winning one and losing three. He was also a defender in the Norway side that lost 1-0 at home to the former East Germany in a 1985 friendly international.

• Heerenveen striker Gerald Sibon can boast some recent experience of German football. The 34-year-old spent the 2006/07 season at 1. FC Nürnberg, but failed to score in ten substitute appearances in the Bundesliga.

• Wolfsburg's Makoto Hasebe is within a booking of a one-match ban.

• This is Wolfsburg's first UEFA Cup group-stage game. Danijel Pranjić scored Heerenveen's late consolation with a penalty in their opening loss to Milan.

• Milan are at home against SC Braga in Matchday 2's other Group E game. Portsmouth FC are the only team in the section not in action on Thursday.