In three days time, Werder Bremen will begin the defence of their League Cup title. In the quarter final of the competition, which will be held in Dusseldorf, the Green-Whites will play their first competitive game of the 2007/2008 season...
In three days time, Werder Bremen will begin the defence of their League Cup title. In the quarter final of the competition, which will be held in Dusseldorf, the Green-Whites will play their first competitive game of the 2007/2008 season...
In three days time, Werder Bremen will begin the defence of their League Cup title. In the quarter final of the competition, which will be held in Dusseldorf, the Green-Whites will play their first competitive game of the 2007/2008 season against arch rivals FC Bayern Munich. As the first real test of the season, in which the best teams of last season participate with the DFB Cup winner as well as the winner of the second division, Werder will want to take the opportunity of setting their mark by claiming the new seasons first piece of silverware. In the eleventh season of its existence, Frings, Baumann & Co. are hoping to be the third side to defend the title. Only Bayern Munich (1998 – 2000) and Hertha BSC Berlin (2002) have managed that feat so far.
Despite two defeats during his teams training camp in Switzerland and an injury problem plaguing his team, trainer Thomas Schaaf is defiantly confident about his sides chances: “We are concentrated, working hard and we’ll see just what we are capable of when it comes to taking the title”, confirmed the coach. In the opinion of team manager Klaus Allofs, anything is possible if the team learn from the test games they’ve played: “We have a number of injuries which of course makes the situation against Bayern more difficult. There is one thing we need to do though and that’s reduce the number of mistakes we’ve been making.”
The Green-Whites have made it to the League Cup final on three occasions. Last season, at the third attempt, Werder eventually managed to claim their first League Cup, thanks to a deserved 2:0 win against FC Bayern Munich (2 goals Ivan Klasnic).
A repeat of that triumph will be a difficult mission. On the way to the final at the Zentralstadion in Leipzig, Werder will not only have to overcome FC Bayern Munich, who have won the title five times in the last ten years, but they would then have to face current German champions VfB Stuttgart, at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadium, on Wednesday, 25.07.2007 at 8:30pm, in their semi final game. Werder have certainly got their work cut out for them.
If Thomas Schaaf’s men were to make it to the League cup final, they would then have the task of taking on either DFB Cup winners, 1. FC Nuremberg, Bundesliga runner-up FC Schalke 04 or second division champions Karlsruher SC.
For the first time this season, the winners of the 2. Bundesliga (German second division) will take part in the competition. This will interestingly enough though, not be the first appearance in the competition for Karlsruher SC, who played in the inaugural match of the competition back in 1997. The winners back then were the clear favourites Bayer 04 Leverkusen but only after a penalty shoot-out (6:5). They then came a cropper in the semi-final, going down 3:0 to VfB Stuttgart.
A penalty shoot-out could also decide this year’s first meeting between the Green-Whites and FC Bayern Munich. Should the game be tied after 90 minutes, there will be no extra-time but instead the winner will be decided from the penalty spot.
Johnnie Muldoon
