“We don’t need to spend so much time thinking about others but instead focus on ourselves,” said Daniel Jensen ahead of the 32nd match day of the season - which tosses up one of the most eagerly awaited games in the Werder Bremen calendar, the north German derby clash with Hamburg SV (Wednesday, 07.05.2008 kick-off 8pm). The curious thing about the Danish midfielders statement, is that it is almost identical to the one made by HSV sport director Dietmar Beiersdorfer on Monday.
The teams have shut themselves away. Neither Hamburg nor Werder have any intention of wasting the limited time they have between games as the season draws to a close. Of course there is no need to constantly stoke fires that are in no fear of burning out. The fact that both sides are treating their opponents with an equal amount of indifference is proof of the confidence brooding in the individual camps.
“Above all in Bremen it is a very important game. We are aware of that and that importance will be mirrored in the way we present ourselves,” explained Tim Borowski. A win against the league’s fourth placed side would be “important of course, but also a huge step towards direct qualification for the Champions League.” The German internationals colleague at both club and country level, Clemens Fritz looked forward optimistically stating: “We can go there feeling confident because we know exactly the sort of results we have achieved in recent games. We intend to continue our run in Hamburg.”
Werder coach Thomas Schaaf suggested the constellation was one in a “special framework” and is hopeful that both sides will “fill that framework with top performances for the sake of the fans.” A very inspiring sentiment.