Title defender Inter Milan were humiliated by new comers to the competition Tottenham Hotspur in a match which saw the English secure victory at White Hart Lane, three goals to one.
The Italians will be looking to dismantle the Spurs from their position at the top of Group A’s table with an away win against German Giants Werder Bremen. Rafael Benitez’s squad have already qualified for the next round in the UEFA Champions League competition
and the Serie A outfit will hope to avoid facing fellow European heavy weights in their next knockout of sixteen.
They sit second in the Group A table under Tottenham, having secured ten points (the same number as the Spurs) but lag behind in goal difference. Werder Bremen have not managed to sustain a spot in the Europa League and have been knocked out of the Champions
League this season, wallowing at the bottom of their Group having secured two points from all five games.
The German club are experiencing a dismal season in the Bundesliga, having drawn with Wolfsburg over the weekend; a match which saw no goals. Werder Bremen now sit in the mid table section of the Bundesliga. The German club may retain hope of securing a
meaningful result against Massimo Moratti’s club, as statistics show that Werder Bremen have never lost to an Italian club on their home turf, the Weserstadion.
Inter Milan will be going into this match, having been defeated by Lazio in Rome in the Serie A competition, three goals to one. The Italians currently occupy the fifth position in the Serie A table, after securing the title last year. Critics have claimed
that the Nerazzurri face a current crisis, and manager Rafael Benitez knows a win will prove them wrong to an extent. Inter Milan will be playing a match in the UAE after this Champions League fixture for the Cup World Cup competition.
If the Spurs draw or lose their match against FC Twente tonight, the Italians will have a chance to claim the top spot in the Champions League table.
Manager Rafael Benitez gave his comments on the match against the Germans, saying "We could finish first in the group and this would be better than being in second place, so we want to win tomorrow (Tuesday) and that's why we're here. It's good and important
for the whole of Italian football that we stay as long as possible in the Champions League.”
Thomas Schaaf, the Werder Bremen boss spoke of the match as being “very important for us even though we're out of the competition”. He stated his desire to play against the Italian club, “to not only compete with Inter, but to win”, but admitted that it
could be a challenge to secure victory against the Champions League title holders.
The Inter Milan president, Massimo Moratti highlighted the significance of the match despite his club’s progression, saying “we must do well.” He spoke of the elite European competition and his team’s participation in it; “It's a must to do well because
in the Champions League you cannot give a bad image. This game is not a nuisance for us. Every game we play we must go out to win it. We must honour the Champions League.”
Moratti saw his side lose ground in the Serie A race in their defeat to Lazio and now are ten points behind their league rivals, AC Milan.
Werder Bremen will be without Tim Borowski, Sebastien Boenisch, Naldo and Christian Vander for tonight’s fixture, due to injuries but Claudio Pizarro and Mikaël Silvestre are said to star against the Italian club.
The Inter Milan injury list includes Julio Cesar, Walter Samuel, Coutinho, Joel Obi, Maicon and Cristian Chivu. Dejan Stankovic, who sustained an injury against Lazio will not feature either. Lucio, Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder have not made the trip
to Germany.
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