UEFA Champions League Preview: Werder Bremen v Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur managed to get past the Champions League play offs to make it to the group stages where they will face Werder Bremen in their first fixture of the Champions League proper.
The two sides’ journey this far to the group stages has been varied. Tottenham stumbled against the Young Boys in their first leg of the play offs with a 3-2 loss. However, in the second leg of the match they more than made up for it with a 4-0 win. Werder Bremen on the other hand relied on a goal by Markus Rosenberg which gave them a win over Sampdoria in extra time.
The fact that Werder Bremen made it to the group stage shows that the German side is hard working and if Tottenham are not in top form they will face a tough challenge tonight. The Germans had a bad start to the season with a 4-1 loss to TSG Hoffenheim, after which they improved immensely winning their next fixture 4-2 against FC Köln.
Similarly, Tottenham have also not had the best of starts in the English Premier League managing only 5 points where they could have taken 12. They are currently at 11th place on the table, below many teams considered much worse than them.
Both sides go into the match with major injury problems and important players missing. It will be interesting to see how they cope. Werder Bremen will be without their first choice centre backs, Naldo and Per Mertesacker. Naldo was ruled out of this fixture after his recurring knee injury resurfaced and Mertesacker was sidelined for six weeks after the German fractured his eye socket while on international duty.
Replacements in the form of Sebastian Prodl and Petri Pasanen will be brought in as centre backs, which will probably cause the formation to change to a 4-2-3-1. The changed formation will be more defensive, with a lone striker to ease the pressure on the new comers. Mikael Silvestre, the former Arsenal and Manchester United player, will perform his duties in the left back position, while Clemens Fritz will be on the right back.
Both Silvestre and Fritz are experienced players; Fritz having won the man of the match award in Werder Bremen’s first leg win in the play offs against Sampdoria, and will likely unsettle the Tottenham forwards. Silvestre has had Premier League experience with two exceptional clubs and this will come in handy tonight against the Spurs.
Former Chelsea striker Claudio Pizarro is also out - he suffered a thigh injury in the last domestic fixture and will make way for Hugo Almeida, who will be vital for attacking support against the Spurs. Bremen may also gamble by bringing on Austrian youngster Marko Arnautovic. The 21 year old striker is a promising young player and even though he will start on the bench he could be called on to make an appearance tonight.
Tottenham have injury problems of their own which could affect their performance today. Carlo Cudicini will continue in goal as first choice goal keeper Heurelho Gomes has not returned from injury. However, the return of Ledley King, will give Harry Redknapp’s side a boost.
Former Chelsea and Arsenal defender William Gallas, who was in good form in the weekend’s fixture against West Brom, will most likely play alongside King. This centre back partnership may prove to be the best Tottenham have had in a long time. Despite being a troublesome player, Gallas has experience in England and in Europe and it will prove to be vital in the early stages of the Champions League.
Luka Modric is injured and will not be featuring tonight which means Gareth Bale returns to the squad, playing in midfield alongside Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Tom Huddlestone. New signing Rafael van der Vaart and Peter Crouch will most likely start upfront, Crouch being favoured for the Russian Roman Pavlyuchenko.
Possible Starting XI
Tottenham Hotspur: Cudicini; Corluka, King, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto; Palacios, Huddlestone; Lennon, Van der Vaart, Bale; Crouch.
Werder Bremen: Wiese; Fritz, Prodl, Pasanen, Silvestre; Frings, Bargfrede; Marin, Wesley, Hunt; Arnautovic.
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