first leg 0 - 3
Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf has insisted "anything is possible" as his side ready themselves for the task of overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit against RCD Espanyol in Germany, with a place in the UEFA Cup final at stake.
The symbol of the city of Bremen is an image of a donkey, dog, cat and cockerel mounted atop one another, taken from the brothers Grimm fable, The Bremen Town Musicians. The consensus, even among the most ardent Werder fans, is that their team require another fairy tale to turn this tie around against Espanyol although Schaaf believes his charges have a chance. "We don't think victory is inevitable but anything is possible," said the 46-year-old, whose side lost 3-2 at DSC Arminia Bielefeld at the weekend. "For now, the most important thing is not the result, but how to achieve it."
The obvious approach is to attack - something Bremen have been doing well all season. The Bundesliga's top scorers by some distance, they have won two of their three UEFA Cup home games by three-goal margins, the other finishing in a 2-0 triumph. Central to that success has been centre-forward Miroslav Klose, who has been heavily linked with a move away from the Weserstadion over recent days but who today stressed he is going nowhere – a timely fillip. "It's important for the supporters to be reassured of his commitment," Schaaf said. "They'll get behind him more than ever."
Bremen need all the help they can get. There were few positives to take from Barcelona last week where strikes from Moisés Hurtado, Walter Pandiani and Ferrán Corominas gave Espanyol a handsome advantage. Clemens Fritz and Tim Wiese both picked up suspensions into the bargain and will watch the second leg from the stands with the injured Tim Borowski. Pierre Wome is back in contention, however, and Schaaf is aware that Espanyol counterpart Ernesto Valverde is similarly hindered. Iván de la Peña is out with a calf strain, Pandiani and Hurtado are banned while Jônatas will undergo a late fitness test after sustaining a groin injury in Sunday's 3-1 defeat at Sevilla FC.
With eleven UEFA Cup goals this term, a return bettered by just three players in the history of the competition, Pandiani will be especially missed. Valverde, understandably, is urging caution. "Talk about Glasgow is tempting fate," said the coach, who has Francisco Chica, Juan Velasco and Luis García available after suspensions. "We have been doing well, performing well, and we want to keep that going for another 90 minutes. But Bremen can quickly turn the situation around, they certainly believe they can. It wouldn't be the first time it has happened."
Valverde speaks from experience. He was part of the Espanyol team that won 3-0 against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the 1987/88 UEFA Cup final first leg, before being forced to sit out the return in Germany as the lead was squandered, the Catalan outfit eventually losing on penalties. A repeat would be the stuff of Bremen dreams.
Probable teams
Espanyol: Gorka Iraizoz; Jesús María Lacruz, Daniel Jarque, Marc Torrejón, Francisco Chica; Pablo Zabaleta, Ito, Francisco Rufete, Luis García; Albert Riera, Raúl Tamudo.
Bremen: Andreas Reinke; Patrick Owomoyela, Petri Pasanen, Naldo, Christian Schulz; Torsten Frings, Frank Baumann, Diego, Jurica Vranješ; Miroslav Klose, Hugo Almeida.
FC Sevilla - RF Osasuna
first leg 0 - 1
Sevilla FC coach Juande Ramos has urged his team to learn from their history as they vie for a place in the UEFA Cup final at home to CA Osasuna on Thursday.
The Andalusian outfit may be the holders but last week's 1-0 loss in Pamplona has undermined their bid to become the first side to successfully defend the trophy since Real Madrid CF in the mid-1980s. And for Ramos, the fear is that surprise-package Osasuna will again revel in the underdog role once familiar to his own players.
"We were in the same position as them in last year's semi-finals when we played a big European team in FC Schalke 04," he said. "We were much smaller, but we eliminated Schalke through sheer persistence and strength. That's why Osasuna's performance in Pamplona makes sense to me. This is a unique and historic opportunity for them." If overconfidence blighted Sevilla's first-leg display, the hosts are determined not to stumble into that trap again. "Fortunately we came back with a result that keeps our dream alive," explained the man at the helm. "I think we needed that little shock to wake up. I just hope it isn't too late, but we'll put all our strength into going through, even if it means sweating blood."
The form book suggests Ramos's charges will have their say yet, having scored at least once in their 12 previous UEFA Cup fixtures in Seville. They also saw off Osasuna 2-0 in the Primera División at the same venue in November and warmed up for Thursday's encounter by overcoming fellow European contenders RCD Espanyol 3-1 on Sunday. That kept them a point off leaders FC Barcelona – with Osasuna in 14th – and despite the demands of their title challenge, Ramos still elected to rest Frédéric Kanouté, Luis Fabiano, Julien Escudé, Javi Navarro and Adriano Correia. Only flu victim Ivica Dragutinović is doubtful, in fact, as goalkeeper Andrés Palop returned to the fray at the weekend.
Their opponents are near to full-strength too, with only Roberto Soldado missing through suspension after scoring last week's winner. In his absence, Pierre Webó is expected to operate as a lone striker, using his pace to punish Sevilla on the break. Further back, fit-again Iranian midfielder Javad Nekounam will form a protective shield in front of defence. Osasuna coach José Ángel Ziganda hopes his men can "enjoy the game", but knowing they have conceded just one goal in their last eight UEFA Cup outings, he anticipates that they will battle hard as well. "The further we go, the more intense the experience becomes," he stated. "At every stage, we thought we could go further, but we've never felt as confident as we do now."
Confidence aside, though, Ziganda, whose side were held to a 2-2 home draw by Real Zaragoza on Sunday, admits the tie is evenly balanced: "We know Sevilla will perform better than last week. They'll be more concentrated, like they have been in the Spanish league all season. But whatever happens, we'll go home with our heads held high, knowing we gave everything."
Probable teams
Sevilla: Andrés Palop; Daniel Alves, Javi Navarro, Julien Escudé, David Castedo; Jesús Navas, Christian Poulsen, José Luis Martí, Adriano Correia; Frédéric Kanouté, Luis Fabiano.
Osasuna: Ricardo López; José Izquierdo, César Cruchaga, Javier Cuéllar, Enrique Corrales; Javad Nekounam; Juanfran, Patxi Puñal, Raúl García, David López; Pierre Webó.
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