On Wednesday, 20.07.2005 at 6:30pm, Werder Bremen face their biggest pre-season challenge to date in Schruns, Austria when they play Serbian champions Partizan Belgrade. The ex-club from Lothar Matthäus have left a very positive impression in their previous test games.
Trainer Vladimir Vermezovic's side have won all of their five pre-season friendlies, the last two during a 'Blitz-Tournament' in Waldbronn. There Belgrade beat German second division teams SC Freiburg (1:0) and Karlsruher SC (1:0). Prior to that they swept aside Sparta Prag (3:0), Bavarian league club FC Memmingen (4:0) and Oberliga team SSV Reutlingen (2:1).
The vast majority of the Serbian champions side are as yet an unknown entity in Germany but Vladimir Vermezovic has a number of players in his team with experience in Italy, Spain and the Serbia and Montenegro national team. Some of the better known names include Zoran Mirkovic (ex-Juventus), Ivan Tomic (ex-As Rome) and Dragan Ciric (ex-Barcelona and Real Valladolid). Two-footed defender MIlivoje Cirkovic who has taken the place of ex-Bremer Mladen Krstajic in the national team was up until recently a candidate for Schalke 04.
Werder are determined to reverse the fortunes of their last two defeats to Energie Cottbus (1:2) and TSV 1860 Munich (1:3) but will have their work cut out for them against Belgrade.