Bundesliga Preview: Bayer Leverkusen – Werder Bremen

Bayer Leverkusen take on Werder Bremen on Saturday at the Bay-Arena in another one of the weekend’s make or break matches. The Werkself can still qualify for the Uefa Cup, but have three other teams on 51 points to fend off. Werder need the points too in order to cement second place and beat rivals Schalke to the runners up spot.

One Last Push From Bayer

Bayer are in a better position than their three rivals as they currently lie fourth in the Bundesliga and have the best goal difference (+18).

“We’ve got to stand up and be counted. We want to hold on to fourth spot and get into the UEFA Cup” said trainer Michael Skibbe.

“So it is important for us and the fans to make one last big push” he added.

Last weekend’s win for Leverkusen has given them confidence and with their rivals Stuttgart and Hamburg dropping points and not in peak form, Bayer are extremely hopeful of making it into European competition next season.

“Hopefully we can reproduce our last performance in the final home game and play with a high level of concentration and lots of commitment. If we get off to a good start we’ll soon get our fans behind us” a self-confident Michael Skibbe revealed.

Second Worth So Much

Although Werder have already secured a Champions League spot, they are still battling Schalke for second place. Second place joins Bayern Munich in the group stage of the Champions League while third place is forced to go through a qualifying round which could see that team out before the lucrative group stages.

Werder only need a draw to secure second place in the league, and Bayer could still qualify for the UEFA Cup with a tie – or even a loss – if at least two of the other three challengers lose.

“We are aware of our strengths and will not be aiming to achieve a pre-set result” explained Werder trainer Thomas Schaaf.

“Of course a draw would be enough but our demands are above that. We want to play successfully as well as attractively, and in the end, achieve our goal of direct qualification for the Champions League.

“Bayer will have undertaken a lot – they want to qualify for international competition. Both sides will be going for the win and that is the best foundation for a really good match” Schaaf concluded.

FORM GUIDE

Bayer Leverkusen

Match Result Date Championship
Hansa Rostock – Bayer Leverkusen 1 – 2 10/05/2008 BUNDESLIGA
Bayer Leverkusen – Hertha BSC 1 – 2 07/05/2008 BUNDESLIGA
MSV Duisburg – Bayer Leverkusen 3 – 2 04/05/2008 BUNDESLIGA
Bayer Leverkusen – VfL Wolfsburg 2 – 2 27/04/2008 BUNDESLIGA
Arminia Bielefeld – Bayer Leverkusen 1 – 0 16/04/2008 BUNDESLIGA
Bayer Leverkusen – VfB Stuttgart 3 – 0 13/04/2008 BUNDESLIGA

Werder Bremen

Match Result Date Championship
Werder Bremen – Hannover 96 6 – 1 10/05/2008 BUNDESLIGA
Hamburg – Werder Bremen 0 – 1 07/05/2008 BUNDESLIGA
Werder Bremen – Cottbus 2 – 0 03/05/2008 BUNDESLIGA
Karlsruher SC – Werder Bremen 3 – 3 26/04/2008 BUNDESLIGA
Hansa Rostock – Werder Bremen 1 – 2 15/04/2008 BUNDESLIGA
Werder Bremen – Schalke 04 5 – 1 12/04/2008 BUNDESLIGA

Head-to-head record in Leverkusen:

31/01/07 Bayer Leverkusen 0 Werder Bremen 2

04/03/06 Bayer Leverkusen 1 Werder Bremen 1

24/04/05 Bayer Leverkusen 2 Werder Bremen 1

13/12/03 Bayer Leverkusen 1 Werder Bremen 3

01/03/03 Bayer Leverkusen 3 Werder Bremen 0

20/04/02 Bayer Leverkusen 1 Werder Bremen 2

TEAM NEWS

Bayer Leverkusen

Stefan Kießling and Jens Hegeler are both suspended, while Lukas Sinkiewicz is out with knee ligament damage and won’t e seen again this year. Bernd Schneider is another long-term absentee.

Paul Freier could provide an alternative if he recovers in time from his ankle injury. Michael Skibbe looks set to keep faith with Dimitri Bulykin in attack, meaning Theofanis Gekas will have to be content with a place on the bench.

Probable starting XI: Adler, Castro, Friedrich, Callsen-Bracker, Sarpei, Vidal, Rolfes, Barnetta, Barbarez, Dum, Bulykin

Werder Bremen

Keeper Tim Wiese has been ruled out of the final match of the season with a patella tendon injury, so Christian Vander will deputise.

Thomas Schaaf will also have to do without Aaron Hunt and Frank Baumann after both players went down with the flu. Jurica Vranjes is suspended. Daniel Jensen misses out through injury, but Ivan Klasnic is expected to recover from a shin problem to make the game.

Probable Starting XI: Vander, Fritz, Mertesacker, Naldo, Pasanen, Frings, Borowski, Özil, Diego, Rosenberg, Almeida

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Bayer Leverkusen- Simon Rolfes

Rolfes surely must be one of the main candidates for Leverkusen’s player of the season and his performances of late have certainly warranted his call up to Joachim Löw’s preliminary German squad for this summer’s European Championships.

Werder Bremen- Diego

The question on everybody’s lips is will Diego be performing his magic next season for Werder? There will be plenty of teams interested in the summer and even more speculation in the media, but the player himself seems to be indicating that he will stay. If he can pull the strings against Leverkusen and inspire Werder to second place, then the Green and White’s fans will be looking forward to next season in a more positive light.

Allofs: “We don’t need to start up a striker search-engine”

At the press conference ahead of the final game of the Bundesliga season, general manager Klaus Allofs was on hand to take the questions of the press representatives. Favoured topics amongst the journalists were the departure of Klasnic, the search for a new striker and the Champions League. WERDER.DE filtered out the most important answers.

Mr.Allofs, on Saturday the final word will be spoken on who finishes as Bundesliga runner-up. How important would it be for Werder to take that spot?

Klaus Allofs: “Of course making second place has distinct advantages. It offers more definite planning possibilities, it offers higher financial gains than in going through the qualifiers as a third placed team and, aside from anything else, on a sporting level, it’s important for us to finish as high up the table as possible.”

Is there a lot of tension? The task ahead in Leverkusen will certainly not be an easy one to master.

Klaus Allofs: “Yes, the game is of great importance for Werder, tension is high but that is something you can get used to. We could feel that pressure during the last few games. It was there before the north German derby and although the win against Hannover was with such a considerable result, there was a lot of pressure there beforehand to win the match. It follows us permanently.”

What do you have to say on Ivan Klasnic’s departure?

Klaus Allofs: “We very much regret that decision but we can certainly understand his motives…”

Has the search for a replacement now begun?

Klaus Allofs: “We don’t need to start up a striker search engine now. We have an eye on the market the whole time. We are not under any pressure. Right now we are well endowed in our attacking department and we did play the bulk of the first half of the season without Klasnic. It is clear though that if we should discover someone who will fit in here, we will get active on a transfer.”

source: werder.de

The ‘Final’ in Leverkusen – will there be more fireworks?

“There is an explosive element,” commented Werder trainer Thomas Schaaf on his side’s final game of the season against Bayer Leverkusen. And how right he is! There is certainly a fuse just waiting to be lit by both sides in Saturday’s game. Werder want to secure second place in the table, which brings the runner-up title and more solid planning possibilities for another Champions League campaign next season. The Green-Whites two point and eight goal superior goal-difference should be enough to hold off their closest rivals FC Schalke 04.

It’s a mapped exercise that Werder’s sporting bosses naturally approach with irreverence: “We are aware of our strengths and will not be aiming to achieve a pre-set result. Of course a draw would be enough but our demands are above that,” explained a determined Thomas Schaaf: “We want to play successfully as well as attractively, and in the end, achieve our goal of direct qualification for the Champions League.”

At the BayArena though, the home side are preparing for some serious fireworks: “Bayer will have undertaken a lot – they want to qualify for international competition,” warned Thomas Schaaf. The situation between positions 4 and 7 is a curious one. There are four sides, all on 51 points, striving to make the UEFA Cup places 4 and 5. Leverkusen have the comparatively better goal difference but need a win to be sure. An explosive constellation, as Schaaf acknowledged: “Both sides will be going for the win and that is the best foundation for a really good match.”

source: werder.de