UEFA Champions League, Wednesday: Tottenham versus Werder Bremen preview
The Group A match between Tottenham and Werder Bremen will take place at the Spurs’ stadium, White Hart Lane. The Tottenham fans will be devastated if their star-player, Gareth Bale will not be able to start, as he sustained a shoulder injury over the weekend
during the much talked about clash the Spurs had against bitter rivals Arsenal (Spurs emerged victorious with the final score resting at 2-3).
Now Redknapp’s team will be looking to build on their fantastic form in the Champions League and will be expecting to finish in the last 16 with a win over the German club.
The Spurs sit on top of their Group A table with seven points, a place above Champions League title-defenders Inter Milan, who lost to Redknapp’s side in their previous match at White Hart Lane.
Inter Milan and Tottenham both have seven points but the English side lead due to a goal difference. If Tottenham manage to beat Bremen, then it will be four straight wins for the North London team at White Hart Lane in the Champions League competition.
The German side are not as fortunate as their rivals for tonight, as they are at the bottom of Group A, having endured a defeat at home at the hands of FC Twente, who now hold the third position in the group. The German team are still waiting for their first
win this season in the UEFA competition.
Tottenham player, Jenas has spoken ahead of the clash with the Germans, claiming that his side are “confident to get the win against Bremen” that will see them sail into the last sixteen. He talked about the Spurs incredible home form-of-late and expected
this Wednesday to be a “special night at White Hart Lane”.
In a paradox to his first statement, Jenas said about his opponents, “we will not take them lightly” despite their poor form in the Champions League as well as their domestic league; Werder Bremen have sunk down to twelveth position in the Bundesliga.
The two sides previously met in the opening match of Group A, where Tottenham led their opponents by two goals, but the end result was a 2-2 draw. Jenas praised Bremen by calling them “talented” and that he was expecting the match to be “tough”.
Bremen striker, Almeida spoke the obvious when he called this match a “must win” for his team, as anything below a victory will not see the German side progress to the next round despite two games remaining. Hugo Almeida praised the Spurs by calling their
team “excellent” and “dangerous at home”. The striker showed he was full of optimism by reinstating the team’s “goal to win” and warning Tottenham that “this will be a different Bremen they are about to face”.
Critics have predicting both teams to launch an attacking strategy of play, with Bremen aiming for a win and Tottenham aiming to match the spirit they showed in the previous weekend’s London derby. Ironically, Almeida spoke of Spurs being their side’s inspiration
in the way they fought back to claim a win after going two down to Arsenal.
Clemens Fritz spoke to the media about Gareth Bale, describing him as a “great” player and “one of the fastest players of all”. Fritz perhaps should not fret just yet over being able to contain the Welsh international, as reports of him sustaining a shoulder
injury during the Arsenal match have emerged, which may rule him out of tonight’s fixture.
Dutchman, Van der Vaart may also not star in tonight’s match as he is suffering from an ankle injury. Tottenham’s long term injury list include players such as Ledley King, with a groin problem, Dawson with an injured knew and O’Hara with a back problem.
Manager Redknapp will be able to select Gomes, after being show a red card on match-day 3, he returns from his suspension. Defoe is available after his successful ankle surgery.
Werder Bremen’s injury list is a long one with Pasanen suffering from a virus. Marko Arnautovic and Claudio Pizarro are both suffering from thigh injuries. Captain Frings is not injured but will not be playing due to his suspension. Silvestre will not be
playing either, after picking up a back injury. Bremen will be likely to hand out first team positions to their under 23 players in order to complete their squad.
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