Werder Bremen are Fc Barcelona's first big hurdle on their way to winning the Champions League which captain Carles Puyol emphasised on Tuesday evening: "They are a typically German tam with many tall players, they are physically very fit and very well work as a unit on the pitch."
Werders physical strenght is one area causing the Spanish giants some headaches: "We've got to avoid set pieces which could prove very dangerous for us. Should Werder get a free-kick around our goal then it's our job to mark tightly with the upmost concentration, our goalkeeper can help us out of a tight spot here too."
There is no lack of friendly respect at hand in Barcelona but the Spanish captain made no bones of the fact that they intend to make their first step towards the title in bremen on Wednesday night: "We all have a great vision and can feel the challenge ahead of us. We want to win the Champions League." The central defender was not to be drawn on who he sees as real favourites for the cup: "There are many other teams aside from us and Chaelsea who have the same goal. It's too early yet for prognosis."
Barcelona's Dutch trainer was equally coy when asked about the roll of favourites: "We are not thinking at all about other teams. We've got to stick to tomorrows game. We've got to deal with a great team tomorow who produced an impressive performance in the league at the weekend." The Barca coach was less convinced that another side in the group could perform as Werder did in Kaiserslautern: "Italien football is totally different, I don't think Udinese can win a game 5:1 but comparisons are difficult. Every league is different but I believe Werder are the team in our group who are showing the best form at the moment."
The ex-Holland international dosen't believe that the old Dutch-German rivalry will play any part in this tie: "It's a match between a German and a Spanish team, as far as I'm personally concerned, it's always something special to play here in Germany - it's much closer to home for me than usual."
Johnnie Muldoon