Prior to their 18th Bundesliga meeting between Werder Bremen and VfL Wolfsburg, the situations for both clubs could hardly be different.
Prior to their 18th Bundesliga meeting between Werder Bremen and VfL Wolfsburg, the situations for both clubs could hardly be different.
Prior to their 18th Bundesliga meeting between Werder Bremen and VfL Wolfsburg, the situations for both clubs could hardly be different. While the Hanseatic club are involved in a four way battle for a Champions League spot, way down at the other end of the table, VfL Wolfsburg find themselves just two points off the drop zone with a serious uphill struggle ahead of them. Trainer Thomas Schaaf is wary of underestimating the Lower Saxon side: "Even though the club has suffered a lot of unrest this season and the team have suffered badly from injuries, they still have enough good, experienced players who can handle the current situation. They are going to battle and fight for every ball aggressively. They simply can't afford to lose against us." The coach is expecting a tough game against a candidate for relegation. To rub salt in Wolves wounds, their top scorer Diego Fernando Klimowicz (11 goals) is suspended.
Evenly balanced history
The history between the two clubs is an altogether more even affair than their positions in the table. From the previous 17 games, Werder have won eight and Wolfsburg seven with just two draws. Still, Werder are not too cocky going into the tie despite their 6:1 win in the corresponding clash during the first round of games. "Saturday will certainly not be as easy as the last game, the Wolves need every point", warned Petri Pasanen. Striker Miroslav Klose is also wary of Wolfsburg: "They are weakened at the moment but such teams are especially dangerous. Aside from that, they've always had it easier against the big teams than the small ones." Nelson Valdez expects "A hungry team who will do everything in their power to remain in the Bundesliga." Tim Borowski believes his side will have to put on an optimal performance to continue their positive run: "We've often had problems against "smaller" teams this season."
A win could see Werder take another vital step towards Champions League qualification with HSV and Schalke also involved in games against relegation troubled teams (Duisburg and Cologne). Thomas Schaaf doesn't want his team feeling over confident going into the final stretch despite have a six point cushion over Schalke. "We were well away from them and allowed them to creep back up on us. We have to insure that we do our job properly before we play Schalke in a fortnight."
Klose fit again
Thomas Schaaf was hopeful of the return of Torsten Frings until Thursday afternoon but his calf problem has made that impossible. "No chance", commented Schaaf to make the situation very clear. Other than Frings, captain Frank Baumann (torn ligaments in left knee), Aaron Hunt (patella tendon syndrom) and Jelle van Damme (thigh problem) will also be unavailable. On the positive side, striker Miroslav Klose looks likely to make the cut after his ankle problem. The German international has returned to team training after two days of rehab: "I've been to the doctor for a check and he gave me the green light."
