Hecking wants alert Wolfsburg against Gent

Dieter Hecking has called on Wolfsburg to be alive to the threat of a Champions League upset in the second leg of their last-16 tie against Gent.

Hecking’s side appeared to be cruising through to the quarter-finals when they stormed into a 3-0 lead in Belgium three weeks ago – Julian Draxler netting a brace before Max Kruse grabbed the third with an hour played.

But Sven Kums and Kalifa Coulibaly struck in the final 10 minutes to reduce the deficit to 3-2.

Three away goals mean Wolfsburg remain strong favourites to secure a place in the final eight on Tuesday, but Hecking does not want his men assume the job is done.

“We can’t afford to rest upon the result from the first-leg,” he told a pre-match news conference. “We need to be wide awake from the outset.

“Our initial situation is good, but we are not through yet. We need a good performance.”

“The tension rises now and the team will be well prepared. Freshness could be a decisive factor.”

Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteels is a product of Gent’s youth system and saidTuesday’s match will be a “special” occasion for him.

“It’s special to play against people from your home country, especially in the Champions League. This does not happen many times, but I don’t mind. We want to win and go through to the next round,” he explained.

“We are in the Champions League to achieve something special by reaching the quarter-finals. We want to achieve as a team.”