Werder Bremen enter their third showdown against an Italian team this season highly concentrated and with a certain anticipation. "We always look forward to these games...
Werder Bremen enter their third showdown against an Italian team this season highly concentrated and with a certain anticipation. "We always look forward to these games...
Werder Bremen enter their third showdown against an Italian team this season highly concentrated and with a certain anticipation. "We always look forward to these games. Everyone knows that we can still accomplish something big in the cup competitions. That makes it worth it to give everything one more time," said Torsten Frings.
The Green-Whites have twice this season barely gotten past Italian teams - against Inter Milan and AC Milan. And now Werder fans hope a third Italian team falls victim to Bremen. In fact, Werder has not lost any of their 12 European matches at home against Italian clubs. And Frings said the chances of another victory are good. "I am very optimistic. We are for the first time this season the favourite in a German-Italian matchup," said the midfielder.
While Frings also warned his team-mates about underestimating their opponents, every Werder player already knows what to expect from the team from Udine. "Every team that is still in this competition has plenty to show for themselves. Udine have already shown a lot, even knocking out the title defenders St. Petersburg," said Per Mertesacker. Head coach Thomas Schaaf will have his team well-prepared. "Udine's top strength is the quick transfer from winning the ball to sending it into the area. We don't want to give them those counter-attacks. We have to keep our opponents busy and play very concentrated and strong with the ball," said the coach.
