aBayer Leverkusen, Werder's opponent for the 27th game day (Sunday, 11 April 2009, at 5 p.m.), is dealing with a special kind of home complex. Since the start of the second half Bayer have played...
aBayer Leverkusen, Werder's opponent for the 27th game day (Sunday, 11 April 2009, at 5 p.m.), is dealing with a special kind of home complex. Since the start of the second half Bayer have played...
Bayer Leverkusen, Werder's opponent for the 27th game day (Sunday, 11 April 2009, at 5 p.m.), is dealing with a special kind of home complex. Since the start of the second half Bayer have played their home games at the LTU Arena in Düsseldorf and not their home BayArena, which is undergoing construction.
"We expect a nice stadium and a nice atmosphere in Düsseldorf," said Werder head coach Thomas Schaaf. But the move has not helped coach Bruno Labbadia's team, which has struggled in their temporary digs.
In the first half of the season, Leverkusen was ready to overtake Werder as Germany's favourite offensive ensemble. The young team built around Adler, Renato Augusto, Rolfes and Helmes was delighting fans around the country with their offensive minded football - and had plenty of success. In the first game, Leverkusen not only beat Werder 2-0 in their own stadium but dominated the run of play.
But the winter brought a change. "After the winter break they couldn't pick up the momentum from the first half. That was surprising, especially when you think about the game they played in Weser-Stadion," said Schaaf. Leverkusen have won only two of nine Bundesliga matches in 2009, the second coming last week with a 2-0 derby win at FC Cologne. Schaaf thinks Leverkusen have now "turned the corner". "They played their free-flowing football again with good scoring. I am certain that they want to build upon that. They have a young, courageous team which runs a lot," said Schaaf. Fans can certainly look forward to an attractive match...
