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St. Louis Missouri, 1st Soccer Capital USA
Teams: Werder Bremen & Bruce Arena's Yankee Army - DFB
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SV Werder Bremen vs FC Bayern München
Saturday October 2
Die Weserstadion in Bremen
SV WERDER BREMEN vs FC Bayern München
The two most vaunted clubs in the bundesliga square off in the North vs South showdown which many think will be THE decisive match of this half of the season.
Location:
St. Louis Missouri, 1st Soccer Capital USA
Teams: Werder Bremen & Bruce Arena's Yankee Army - DFB
Posts: 1,371
Germany Awaits Clash Of The Titans
10/1/2004 5:35:00 PM
German champions Werder Bremen host predecessors Bayern Munich at the Weserstadion on Saturday with both clubs anxious to praise the opposition after prestige Champions' League victories for both protagonists in midweek.
Bremen came from behind to beat Spanish champions Valencia at the Weserstadion on Wednesday, while Bayern overwhelmed Ajax Amsterdam thanks to a Roy Makaay treble at the Olympiastadion the previous evening. Now, the clubs clash in one of the most eagerly awaited confrontations of the German season, with third-placed Bremen and fourth-placed Bayern both anxious to continue recent upturns in form.
Bremen General-Manager Klaus Allofs was respectful of the Bavarians ahead of the game, telling the official Werder Bremen Web site: "Munich are showing their effectiveness at the moment although they are not playing brilliantly. We must be wary as Bayern can turn on the style at any time." The remarks were an obvious reference to Tuesday's destruction of Ajax, a display totally out of character given recent Bayern performances. Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf was greatly heartened by the win over Valencia, feeling the result can only add to the confidence of his tightly-knit squad: "The fact that we can hold our own with the current squad against one of Europe's top sides fills us with hope for the forthcomming tasks," he said. Indeed, given the fact that defensive lynchpin Valerian Ismael missed the game through suspension, the result is all the more admirable and sets the German double winners up for a genuine attempt at qualification through the group phase.
Meanwhile in Bavaria, midfielder Torsten Frings was similarly complimentary about Bremen's midweek heroics. Frings told the official club site: "You dont just go out and beat Valencia on autopilot." Bayern coach Felix Magath agreed: "I thought Bremen did very well," adding: "Werder were in trouble at the start, but they stepped up a couple of gears after the break. They were totally on top and deserved to win."
Bayern have a wretched record against the champions, failing to win any of the last eight meetings between the sides, and losing three of the last four confrontations, including last May's title decider in Munich when Werder won 3-1. Magath, however, is unfazed by such statistics claiming: "Weve won two home games in a row, but up in Dortmund we only drew. Its high time we won away from home again."
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