Niedersachsen derby preview

Dieter Hecking's Hannover 96 make the short drive to Volkswagon Arena in another chapter of the Niedersachsen derby later today. While the visitors have yet to mark a road victory this season and equally Wolfsburg yet to lose a match in their friendly home confines, the tension will be high as both teams fight it out for regional dominance.

From an injury vantage Dieter Hecking will Czech Republic international Jiří Štajner back for the match but missing the services of Vinícius, Jan Schlaudraff, Valérien Ismaël, Altin Lala and skipper Robert Enke. Wolfsburg is reporting no new injuries with Grafite still on the sidelines.

Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath said of the match:

"The match against our neighbours means a lot to our fans. A win over Hanover is more important than a win over Bochum or Stuttgart."

I report on the match as it concludes.