CL, MD2: Inter 1 - 1 Werder Bremen

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UEFA Champions League 2008/09, Group Stage, Matchday 2
FC Internazionale Milano v SV Werder Bremen

Stadium: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
Kick-off: Wednesday, 1 October 2008, 20.45h

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Match background

FC Internazionale Milano gave coach José Mourinho, a UEFA Champions League winner with FC Porto in 2004, a victorious return to the competition with a 2-0 success at Panathinaikos FC on Matchday 1. Now, back on home ground, they will be seeking to make it six points from two games as they take on a Werder Bremen side who started with a 0-0 home draw at home to Anorthosis Famagusta FC.

• Almost a year to the day since he parted company with Chelsea FC, Mourinho looked on with delight as goals in each half from Mancini and substitute Adriano – both taking advantage of Zlatan Ibrahimović assists – brought the Serie A champions maximum points in Group B.

• Inter lost 1-0 away at the start of both the last two editions of the competition, at Fenerbahçe SK (2007/08) and Sporting Clube de Portugal (2006/07), so the result in the Spyro Louis Stadium was a considerable improvement as they set out on their ninth attempt to win the UEFA Champions League.

• Inter and Bremen met in the opening group game in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League when two goals from Adriano got Inter off to a comfortable win. The writing was on the wall for the visitors as early as the fifth minute when defender Valérien Ismaël was sent off for a professional foul.

• The line-ups for that game on 14 September 2004 were:
Inter: Francesco Toldo, Iván Córdoba, Javier Zanetti (Zé Maria), Emre Belözoğlu, Andy van der Meyde, Adriano, Juan Sebastián Verón, Giuseppe Favalli, Marco Materazzi, Dejan Stanković (Esteban Cambiasso), Christian Vieri (Alvaro Recoba).
Bremen: Andreas Reinke, Frank Fahrenhorst, Petri Pasanen, Fabian Ernst, Frank Baumann (Ludovic Magnin), Paul Stalteri, Johan Micoud, Ivan Klasnić (Angelos Charisteas), Tim Borowski, Valérien Ismaël, Nelson Valdez (Miroslav Klose).

• Bremen and Inter played out a 1-1 draw in the return fixture at the Weserstadion on 24 November 2004, Obafemi Martins scoring in the 55th minute to cancel out Ismaël's opener from the penalty spot seven minutes earlier.

• Until 27 September 2006, Inter had won all four of their home games against German visitors in the European Champion Clubs' Cup. That proud record ended at the hands of FC Bayern München as Claudio Pizarro – now a Bremen player – and Lukas Podolski scored in the last ten minutes. Inter ended the game with nine men, Ibrahimović and Fabio Grosso receiving late red cards.

• In UEFA club competition Inter have won nine and lost four of the 13 fixtures they have staged against German visitors. In the 1980s and 1990s the contests were all in the UEFA Cup and one of the victories came in the two-legged 1996/97 final against FC Schalke 04. Both home games ended 1-0 to the host team with Inter eventually losing out on penalties.

• The Nerazzurri lifted the UEFA Cup in 1994 and again four years later and each time they beat German teams in the quarter-finals. Revenge against Schalke came in 1998 with BV Borussia Dortmund having lost out four years before.

• Inter's progress in last season's UEFA Champions League came to a shuddering halt with a 1-0 defeat at home to Liverpool FC in the first knockout round which left them nursing a 3-0 aggregate defeat. Over the long haul their record at San Siro is impressive however, winning 14 of the last 20 UEFA Champions League games there including qualifying. Three matches were drawn and three lost. Last season Inter won all three home games in their group, scoring nine and conceding two.

• Thomas Schaaf's Bremen team missed several chances and were left frustrated on Matchday 1 as Anorthosis made an impressive UEFA Champions League debut at the Weserstadion, Pizarro, Mesut Özil and Hugo Almeida all failing to convert when well placed. It meant that the Bundesliga runners-up have still not started a campaign with a victory though at least it was an improvement on the defeats with which they had begun all five of their previous group-stage challenges.

• This is the fourth occasion Bremen have been involved in a game at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza but only the second time they have faced Inter having lost to AC Milan 2-1 in the 1993/94 group stage and 1-0 in the 1988/89 European Cup quarter-finals. Overall, Bremen have played ten matches on Italian soil, winning twice, drawing twice and losing on six occasions.

• They faced S.S. Lazio in last season's group stage, losing the Rome game 2-1. That was also the score in the away leg when they were drawn against Juventus in the 2005/06 first knockout round and after winning the home game 3-2 it meant Bremen departed from the competition on away goals.

• Last season Bremen lost all three away games in their UEFA Champions League group, also going down at Real Madrid CF (2-1) and Olympiacos CFP (3-0). They last tasted victory on their travels in 2006/07 against PFC Levski Sofia, the only success in their last eleven away games in the competition proper. Only one draw has been achieved in that sequence.

• Materazzi was on the winning side in Dortmund when Italy beat Germany 2-0 after extra time in the semi-final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Per Mertesacker was on the opposing team.

• The other Group B fixture features Anorthosis against Panathinaikos.

uefa.com - UEFA Champions League - Fixtures & Results

[Vargas_4]

I do hope for Bremen to obtain a good result, for the sake of German football... Even though this fuckers trashed us last weekend.

But i seriously doubt they'll be able to get a win here. Inter have been really good and even though Bremen seem to be okay at the moment, they don't convince me.

Their opening matchday draw is a huge blow to their chances of progressing, if you ask me. But maybe if they at least obtain a draw here, they have more chances

[Trim]

They are going to return home with 0 points in their bag, I'm sure of that.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Inter didn't look too convincing against Lecce, if Bremen can lock down their defence they might grab a point, but then again, they have a dodgy defence.. If they allow Ibra any space, they will get murdered and it's also important to cover the flanks because of Mancini-Maxwell on one side and Quaresma-Maicon on the other, plus Cambiasso as the main creator of the team in the center of midfield.

It will be very tough for Bremen, but it's not impossible

[Trim]

What can they expect against Inter away, when they couldn't beat a modest Anorthosis at home?

Bremen are not ready for CL yet.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Originally Posted by Trim

What can they expect against Inter away, when they couldn't beat a modest Anorthosis at home?

Bremen are not ready for CL yet.

I guess.. But shit happens, Porto also drew their last 5 opening matches of the CL and still qualified, so Bremen can do it. It's also a matter of luck, in a football match no one can predict what will happen.

Bremen's attack is really strong with Diego-Ozil, behing Rosenberg and Pizarro (who are both in great form atm). Since Inter's defenders like to attack, Bremen could hit them on the counterattacks.

[RunX]

I hope that inter will beat Bremen 5-0.

[Dragoen]

Originally Posted by RunX

I hope that inter will beat Bremen 5-0.

So that Germany loses more ground in the Uefa Rankings? You do know that games against italian teams are very important this season because if we perform well and the italians don't then we have a good chance to advance to third rank which would mean one more cl spot.


Nevertheless it will be really tough. Mourinhio hasn't lost in a hundred home games now but I think if we stay focused we can hold Inter to a draw.

[Vargas_4]

Originally Posted by RunX

I hope that inter will beat Bremen 5-0.

It's no use to German Football if they lose.

Yes, I'm still bitter by the defeat they handed us. We didn't get a whopping that badly at home since like 1976 or something (read that somewhere). But in the European stage, i put my rivalry feelings aside and hope for them to perform well.

This season, it's important for Bayern and Bremen to do well. Schalke got knocked out early and won't be lending a hand.

[RunX]

Inter lost to Ac Milan 1-0.. Ist good for werder bremen ?! ...

[RunX]

Baumann and Jensen fit again

Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf will have midfield duo Frank Baumann and Daniel Jensen back at his disposal for Wednesday's Champions League visit to Inter Milan.

Jensen has recovered from the achilles tendon injury that kept him out of Saturday's roller-coaster victory over 1899 Hoffenheim.

Baumann, the club's 32-year-old captain, also missed that match due to a heavy cold. Both players finished final training on Monday fit and well.

Bundesliga - Die offizielle Webseite

[RunX]

Out to lay an old curse

Werder Bremen are rethinking tactics for the Champions League visit to Inter Milan in the wake of their weekend goalfest against Hoffenheim (5-4).

"We can't let ourselves get carried away like that again - we need to stay focused at the back for this one", sporting director Klaus Allofs says of the trip to face the Italian champions.

Self-belief through strength up front

That said, the show of forward power on display against the Bundesliga upstarts from the southwest engendered an evidently upbeat mood among the players as they gathered for departure at Bremen airport on Tuesday.

"We want to bring something away from Milan. The win against Hoffenheim was good for morale", German international Torsten Frings commented.

Coach Thomas Schaaf also saw a lot of positive aspects to that encounter, saying, "We know we have to improve at the back, of course. But we're also travelling to Milan with the self-belief that comes from scoring ten goals in our last two league games."

Mourinho expecting a "hard game"

Clemens Fritz looks likely to replace Austrian international Sebastian Prödl with a view to tightening things up in defence. The more cautious approach is aimed at ending Bremen's "San Siro curse" - the Hanseatics have lost all three competitive games played there so far.

Inter coach Jose Mourinho is not renowned for a lack of belief in his own abilities, but he has warned his players against taking the match in any way lightly: "I expect a win, but a hard game as well. Bremen have very good players and we'll have to be on our toes to ensure we're not overrun the way Bayern were recently."

Inter near full strength

The home side are currently fourth in Serie A, and go into the game on the back of their first defeat of the season, 1-0 to city rivals AC Milan. Of that, captain Javier Zanetti said, "We have to get over this right away. We need our heads and legs for the Champions League now."

Aside from Portuguese compatriot Luis Figo, who has a foot injury, Mourinho can count on a full-strength ensemble to face Werder. Having won 2-0 at Panathinaikos in their opener, Inter would be well on the way to the last 16 with another three points in the bag come end of play on Wednesday.

For their part, Bremen are already under pressure to produce following their goalless opener at home to group outsiders Anorthosis Famagusta. Next up for them after Milan is another road trip - to Athens in three weeks time, to face Panathinaikos.

Probable line-ups:

Inter Milan: Julio Cesar - Maicon, Cordoba, Materazzi, Chivu - Zanetti, Muntari, Cambiasso - Cruz, Ibrahimovic, Mancini - Coach: Mourinho

Werder Bremen: Wiese - Prödl, Mertesacker, Naldo, Pasanen - Baumann - Frings, Özil - Diego - Rosenberg, Pizarro - Coach: Schaaf

referee - Mikel

Bundesliga - Die offizielle Webseite

[Vargas_4]

Good luck guys.

Hope you obtain that important draw.

[Dragoen]

0:1 already -.-

Goal by Maicon