Sunday, September 30, 2007

Is Wayne Brady Going to Have to Score 8 on a Bitch

Werder 8 - 1 Bielefeld



In reference to Sanogo's striking resemblance to Wayne Brady (and his infamous skit on the Chapelle Show)

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Leverkusen 0 - 1 Bayern Munich

Bayer Leverkusen put the greatest team in the world, nay the greatest team ever (if the German media is to be believed) to the stick today. And they showed some of weaknesses that can be exploited to keep the race close or, in the case of Europe and the F.A. Cup, catch Bayern out.


Klose/Toni

They work well together and they are both phenomenal forwards. However, when they play together, Bayern is a weaker team. There reason for this is that Bayern lose the midfield in a 4-4-2, and it is their ability to press offensively that keeps their opponents at bay. Coming into the game Bayer and Bayern shared the lead with least goals allowed at three. But for Leverkusen, it is because of their solid back line and wunderkind Adler. For FC Bayern, their defensive record is in large part due to the fact that they don’t concede goal chances by controlling the midfield. Coming into the game, Bayern had conceded 15 shots on goal the entire season. Today they conceded 11.


Leverkusen controlled the midfield completely until the 51st, when Klose was injured and Schweinsteiger came on to change the formation to 4-5-1. At that point, the double teams that had harassed Ribery out of the game stopped, Leverkusen’s tendency to win the ball and start play within Bayern’s half stopped, and Bayern’s beautiful counter attacks suddenly appeared. Van Bommel who was largely absent for the first half, suddenly became a force when he set further back and Altintop became effective as he was allowed to run at defenders.


Otto Hitzfeld will play Klose with Toni when both are healthy. They can be had with an energetic performance at midfield as shown by Michael Skibbe’s side today.


Christian Lell.

He is the fourth choice at back, behind Lahm, Sagnol and Jensen. He played today due to injuries, as will be required often this season, and was piss-poor to say the least. Leverkusen focused their attack in the first half on his side and was unlucky to have not seen Tranquillo Barnetta score on two excellent chances down the left hand channel. In addition, Lell who was warned in the first 10 minutes, garnered a yellow in the 63rd and spent the last 30 minutes arguing with the referee to the point that he should have been booked a second time. His rash challenges and brash behavior may well see him with a red when he faces a less assured ref.


Demichelis’ Height

At 6’ he is short for a central defender. On a day that saw Lucio man-mark Theofanis Gekas, 6’3 Stefan Kießling became Demichelis responsibility. Demichelis struggled at times against Keißling in his first questionable performance of the season. Could he be susceptible in these situations in the future, and will managers see this and prepare accordingly?


Weather

Even when Bayern took over the game, their passes were off. It was endemic of the whole side, including the usually reliable passing Ze Roberto. It was a cold and rainy day in a country that is going to only get colder and rainier for the next five months. Wet pitches are not a passing team’s friend and it will be interesting to see how a team that matches Barcelona and Arsenal in beautiful football fare in the following months in central Europe.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Werder Bremen Explodes

Last week, I spoke of Stuttgart’s awakening, perhaps prematurely. Perhaps it’s premature to do so this week with Werder Bremen, but there are indicators that Bremen is ready to turn their season around after their resounding defeat of Stuttgart this week. Diego was at his best, Naldo and Merzacker were brilliant in defense and Hugo Almeida seemed to finally find some form.


How do you stop a team like Arsenal, Barcelona or Stuttgart? You push them. If you sit back and allow them time to pass, they will eventually pick you apart; however, if you press, run at their defense, shoot, they can’t get a rhythm. In addition, your movement, closes down channels, putting bodies where they wouldn’t be otherwise, that would be open if you are sitting back. Werder Bremen showed everyone else how to do it this past Saturday.


Still reeling from an injury crisis, petering on the epic, Werder Bremen hosted the defending champions at the Weserstadion and put the holders to the sword. Two lightening quick strikes by Portuguese international Hugo Almeida saw the game at 2-0 within three minutes. Within 15 minutes it was 3-1, following a Gomez counter and Sanogo retort a minute later. By all accounts this was going to be a game for the ages. While the ball stopped finding the net, it was not due to a lack of effort by either side, so anyone who turned away after 15 minutes still missed 75 minutes of exhilarating football.


Diego controlled the midfield while Daniel Jansen had a very solid game next to him. With Baumann and Vranjes providing more cover behind the brilliant Brazilian, Werder Bremen surged forward often and with aplomb, causing havoc for Basturk and Khedira, who were pinned back most of the game and leading to a stinker by defender Serdar Tasci. Bremen could have easily scored on any number of their 17 other chances, especially a brilliantly controlled bicycle by Diego late in the second half that flew over the bar by inches.


Stuttgart was not without resolve as they found moments of sharpness, especially right after the break. However an obvious goal by Hilbert, which smashed off the crossbar and down over the line, was wrongfully disallowed and this seemed to take the steam out of the Swabians, who thereafter seemed to flounder any additional chances.


A late brace from distance by Diego capped a perfect day for the #10 who was brilliant throughout the day. If he can carry them through their injury phase of the moment, they could well be a team to cause havoc in the league and Champions League for the rest of the season.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Sander Happy to be Axed

Well who would have thought that Petrik Sander would have made it longer than Jose Mourinho? Sander was supposed to be fired after round 5 when his team was demolished by Stuttgart.


Given the dire undertones of that game, one might have expected that he would light a fire under his woeful team. He didn’t. They capitulated easily to the Swabians. He somehow, beyond the comprehension of anybody, made it an extra week. Perhaps the board thought the champions were too grand a task. They must have failed to notice any of Stuttgart’s other six matches this year.


At home against a Wolfsburg side, who is very hit or miss, whose defense has lacked resolved on many occasion this campaign, perhaps, the board felt that Sander and Cottbus could find the goal they so sorely lacked. But having scored only one goal all season, they stuttered to just a third at home. Wolfsburg won 2-1 and Sander was finally relieved of duties.


It would be hard to imagine that he is not relieved. It was the board’s lack of spending which saw his Romanian duo leave in the offseason, with little in the way of fortification, that harmed the team’s chemistry and offense so much. So U23 coach Heiko Weber takes over on a temporary basis after assistant Thomas Hoßmang felt too emotional (read “ain’t touching that mess”) to take over.


Jose Mourinho has said that his next job could be Germany. Could Energie be his destination?

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

The Fat Lady Sings

It seems a bit dramatic to claim that Schalke's chances of advancement are already done after one game, but it's true. This was always going to be a difficult group, and the first requirement was to ensure points at home. Schalke blew that last night by missing early chances and then losing steam.

Valencia came into the game in crisis. Following their 5-0 defeat at the hands of local rival Villareal, Quique Sanchez has come under scrutiny by fans, management and even the players. It doesn't helped that he scoffed at Wesley Sneijder, who is now closing in on superstar status at rivals Real Madrid. Rumors abound that he has lost the dressing room and two cheeky wins against poor opposition in La Liga haven't endeared him. So as they came to the Veltins Arena, Schalke had the upper hand.

Schalke have yet to lose a game in the Bundesliga, and that includes two away draws to direct competitors for the title: Stuttgart and Bayern. So the matchup heavily favored the Gelsenkirken side. And they took the game to Valencia for the first 20 minutes, missing two opportunities early. And while the game evened afterwards, they still had more chances than the Spanish side. A poorly executed trap and even poorer read of a through-ball to David Villa gave Valencia the lead and eventual victory.

A team typically needs 10 points to get through the group stages of Champions League. That leaves Schalke in the unenviable position of needing two points a game for the remainder of the stage. They are now forced to win and draw games on the road. And if they couldn't beat Valencia at home when the visitors were down, there chances of going to the Mestalla and gathering points seems remote right now.

The scenario for advancement is this: a victory home and away against Rosenborg, who shocked Chelsea away last nigh; a win at home against a Chelsea side, who will be healthy by the time that game is played; and a draw at either Stamford Bridge or the Mestalla. The scenario is grim at best.

Schalke will rue the missed chances last night and should not rule out a dogfight for the UEFA Cup spot.

David Villa's Goal

Looking at it, my opinion is that Villa did not foul Neuer. I don't feel that Neuer mishandled the ball either. He stretched and Villa's momentum gave his the advantage. Neuer did misread the pass, which left his stretching too far for a ball that he should have gather up rather easily.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Stuttgart's Swagger Returns

Sometimes we forget how beautiful Stuttgart can play. Sometimes, it seems, they themselves forget. It explains why they sometimes look so average. But lying in wait, at all times, is the ability to play perfect tactical football with short precise passes to keep possession until they can spring a trough-ball. And when it clicks for them, it can be as beautiful to watch as any top attacking club, such as Barcelona, Seville or Arsenal.



We haven’t seen it this season. It’s been missing, even during the Ligapokal, since last season’s miracle run. Fifteen minutes had passed in this week’s home match against Energie Cottbus and still we hadn’t seen it. It wouldn’t be unprecedented as the two clubs rarely play above the nil-nil score lines that pepper the history of their play. So, just as it seemed the game had settled into the now comfortable state of listless football between the two, Stuttgart found their rhythm.



It wasn’t perfect, but at moments it was incredible football that reminded us just how fun Stuttgart can be on their day and why football is the Beautiful Game. To watch Meira or Osario bring the ball out from the back and slot it to the midfield, where Khedira, Pardo, Hilbert and da Silva would play triangles until one of them or the forwards would find a fraction of space and the through ball would be sent, was a delight. And when they would make one of the through-balls, and it would seem errant, yet suddenly Cacau or Marica would find the ball, it was joyous.



Cottbus was a poor side on the day, especially in consideration of the manager’s tenable position. It had been suggested that a loss would see Petrik Senderos fired. They had no impetus and couldn’t deal with Stuttgart’s midfield. They seemed quite willing to sit on a draw for 90 minutes, maybe realizing that it was the most likely result given their history. What their languid attack provided was an impetus for Stuttgart to find their flow. And the game switched suddenly as the Swabians began to take possession and work their short magic.


In the end, Stuttgart walked away with a 3-0 victory, but more importantly they go into Wednesday’s away leg at Ibrox with their swagger and confidence seeming back in tow. If they can keep it, then Rangers, Lyon and Barcelona should well beware of the German champions, because on their day, they can play any of the three off the pitch. The victory may well reverse their fortunes in the Bundesliga at the right time, as well. At the same point last year, they had only two more points than they do this year and we all know how it ended. With Schalke entrenched in draw-mode and Bayern brought back to earth, the champions could well start pushing for the top spot again if they are ready to do what they do best.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Round 5 Review

Borussia Dortmund 3 - 0 Werder Bremen
@ Signal-Iduna-Park
D: Petric (22,32) Klimowicz (29)

Arminia Bielefeld 4 - 2 Hansa Rostock
@ Schüco Arena
B: Agali (og 31) Eigler (50,55) Wichniarek (59)
R: Kern (47) Bülow (63)

Bayer Leverkusen 2 - 0 Bochum
@ BayArena
L: Haggui (62) Friedrich (88)

Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Schalke 04
@ Allianz Arena
B: Klose (54)
S: Rakitic (36)

Frankfurt 2 - 1 Hamburg
@ Commerzbank Arena
F: Meier (8, 87)
H: van der Vaart (82p)

Nurnberg 2 - 2 Hannover 96
@ EasyCredit Stadion
N: Misimovic (60) Mintal (89)
H: Hanke (12,39)

Stuttgart 3 - 0 Energie Cottbus
@ Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion
S: Cacau (53) Ewerthon (78) Gomez (82)

see above

Duisburg 1 - 2 Hertha Berlin
@ MSV Arena
D: Lavric (78)
H: Pantelic (61,70)

Wolfsburg 1 - 2 Karlsruhe
@ Volkswagon Arena
W: Krzynowek (21)
K: Eggimann (63) Eichner (79)

Friday, September 14, 2007

Round 5: Preview

Borussia Dortmund 1 - 1 Werder Bremen

Without Harnik to provide a spark off the bench, I can see Bremen reverting to their stagnant form that has plagued them this season. Dortmund seems to be finding some form, although it must be noted that it was against some weak opposition. Game is on GolTV.


Stuttgart 4 - 0 Energie Cottbus

Cacau and Yildiray Bastürk return to a team that needs a turn in fortune in order to start aiming at a top spot, but also have their eye on a tough Champions League group. Cottbus is the perfect opponent for slotting these players back into the squad and helping one’s confidence. I predict that Stuttgart will explode this weekend. Game is on GolTV.


Bayern München 2 - 3 Schalke 04

Of course, my prediction is dependent on Slomka and the General’s tactical decisions, but if Slomka plays with five in the midfield, he can negate some of Ribery’s abilities, while giving Lucio a reason to move forward, allowing a Jones or Rakatic to slip in for goals. I also expect Podolski and Klose to start up front and am not convinced of Bayern under a 4-4-2. I expect the past week’s games will weight more heavily on Bayern as Lucio was in the states and Ribery was in two hard contests. Kevin Kuranyi leads the league in shots on target and will do something that has really yet to be accomplished this season: he will test Kahn often. Game is on GolTV.


Bayer Leverkusen 2 - 1 Bochum

Leverkusen has had a poor start to the season, but there’s a good chance that they will begin to gel against Bochum, who are reeling from three injuries to their backline. In addition, last year’s leading goal scorer Theofanis Gekas faces off with his old team for the first time, and that should put a little extra spring in his step.


Nürnberg 0 - 2 Hannover

Things just get worse for Nurnberg, as their two midfield stars Saenko and Galasek return from international duty injured. The 96ers’ talisman Arnold Bruggink should control the center of the pitch and Mike Hanke should have plenty of chances to continue his good start to the season.


Bielefeld 3 - 1 Hansa Rostock

Rostock are a poor side, bound for relegation. Bielefeld are riding high at the moment and should have no problem keeping pace at the top and could well see themselves at the top of the table come Sunday.


Frankfurt 1 - 2 Hamburg

Both teams have started the campaign well. I think Hamburg has the edge due to their midfield which seemed to blossom last week without Rafael van der Vaart. Castelan and Boateng are going to be stars. I expect Hamburg will win the game in center of the pitch and Zidan and Guererro will start to finish better, which is all HSV is missing right now.


Wolfsburg 2 - 0 Karlsruhe

Karlsruhe is bound to have a hangover from their derby win over Stuttgart. Wolfsburg is a hot/cold team, but typically runs hot at home.


Duisburg 1 - 2 Hertha Berlin

Something seems to be clicking at HSB and they could continue their surprising start against a Duisburg side that dismantled Bielefeld last time out. But Lucio has made the transition to the capital city seamlessly and should be the difference maker for Lucien Favre’s side.


Thursday, September 13, 2007

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Round 4: Review

Schalke 1 – 1 Bayer Leverkusen
S: Kuranyi (45)
B: Gekas (53)

Schalke, a team with five draws all of last year, already have three in four games this campaign, yet still remain unbeaten. At home at the Veltins Arena, they dominated play against Bayer Leverkusen, but were unable to finish off the visitors. Schalke pressured constantly and played expansive, flowing football, but squandered most of their chances until a set piece at the stroke of half from Pander to Kuranyi (get to used to that) opened the scoring. In the 21st, Mladen Krstajic went off with a knock to the knee. He was replaced by Dario Rodrigues, which was important because Rodrigues’ lack marking before and after a competent save by Manuel Neuer allowed Gekas to score his second of the season in the 64th. This game’s major theme might have well been the duel between Schalke’s Neuer and Leverkusen’s René Adler. The two young stickminders, made save after save, one more spectacular than the next to keep the score level, and leave us all wondering just which of them will be the next German #1.

Energie Cottbus 1 – 1 Nürnberg
C: Sorensen (15)
N: Wolf (85)

Cottbus figured out the solutions to their offensive woes: get a dubious penalty. The 15th minute penalty was Cottbus’ second goal all campaign. Nurnberg who has been fairly stagnant offensively themselves were able to muster a late point when Wolf headed in a Galasek corner, and should have rightfully won the game when Nicky Adler’s goal was called back because Cottbus keeper Tomislav Piplica ran into his own player, which the referee determined was a foul.

Hertha Berlin 2 – 1 Wolfsburg
H: Pantelic (38) Okoronkwo (88)
W: Dejagah (61)


Hertha controlled the game with a substantial majority of possession, but needed a last minute scorcher from substitute Solomon Okoronkwo to secure the win. The return of Marko Pantelic buoyed the home side as he opened the scoring in the 38th from a cross by Chahed. But against the run of play, Wolfsburg leveled at the hour mark, when ex-Hertha badboy Dejagah put a beautiful long range shot past the helpless Drobny.


Hannover 3 – 2 Bochum
H: Hanke (12) Rosenthal (36) Hashemian (71)
B: Bechmann (44) Maltritz (p.66)


Hannover bounced back from last round’s drubbing at the Allianz, to hand Bochum their first loss of the campaign. Hanke and Rosenthal provided an early cushion with two shots from outside the 18. Bochum proved resilient and scored at the brink of the half when Robert Enke parried a Christoph Dabrowski shot right to the charging Tommy Bechmann, who scored his 4th of the season. Bochum emerged in the second half with renewed vigor and leveled in the 66th when Stanislav Sestak was brought down in the box and Maltritz put away the penalty. But Szabolcs Huszti took over from there and ensured the home time full points, when his elegant run released Michael Tarnat who crossed to the Helicopter, Vahid Hashemian, who finished strongly. Huszti almost set Vahid up for a fourth minutes later, but as it stood, they had enough to win on the day.


Hansa Rostock 0 – 1 Dortmund
D: Fredrico (76)


The home side had 25 shots. Unfortunately only two of them were on target and both hit woodwork, the first by Victor Agali kissed both posts and still seems impossible that it was cleared. Dortmund had little creativity but found the winner when and alert Giovanni Fredrico cleaned up a ping-pong clearance in the Rostock end to secure Thomas Doll’s side their second straight win.


Duisburg 3 – 0 Bielefeld
D: Maicon (64) Ishiaku (68, 70)


This game came down to six minutes of madness, where Maicon’s opener was followed by a double by Manasseh Ishiaku. The new signing from Club Brugges, shook off two defenders for the second goal, in a display of persistence that will be unmatched anytime soon. It was a well earned three points for the newly promoted side who dominated play and sent Bielefeld to their first loss of the campaign.


Werder Bremen 2 – 1 Eintracht Frankfurt
W: Sanogo (35) Panasen (79)
F: Thurk (85)


Bremen are finding form at an opportune time with the Champion’s League just around the corner. They handed Frankfurt their first loss of the season 2-1 at the Westerstadion. Keeper Markus Pröll can only blame himself for the first goal after a poor clearance led to a one-on-one between him and Sanogo who bulled past the keeper to open the scoring. Harnik was once again a late substitution, for the ineffective Almeida, and once again his appearance sparked things for Bremen. He scored within minutes of coming on only to see it called back for off-sides. A few minutes later Petri Panasen converted a free kick to seemingly cement things. Butit was a good thing he did score as Frankfurt came storming back. They scored in the 85th minute when Michael Thurk cleaned up a desperate clearance, and they almost leveled in stoppage when Amanatidis forced Tim Weiss into a great save.


Karlsruhe 1 – 0 Stuttgart
Hajnal (54)


This intense derby, which hasn’t been played in almost 10 years, found the reigning champions of the Bundesliga and Zwei facing off for supremacy in Baden-Württemberg. Karlsruhe relied on a superb performance by keeper Markus Miller and a goal by Tamas Hajnal to defeat their local rivals and record their second win of the young campaign. A second half run by Christian Timm resulted in a cross that the Hungarian playmaker slotted home perfectly. Stuttgart will rue their missed chances and now sit in a relegation spot with the Champions League fast approaching.

HSV 1 – 1 Bayern Munich

My hopes of doing analysis on this as my Match of the Week were shot down by my poor handling of a DVR.


Friday, September 7, 2007

The European Draw

The Champion’s League draw for German teams was not easy as all three clubs found themselves in hard groups.

Schalke 04 drew Chelsea, Valencia and Rosenborg in Group B

Chelsea and Valencia are both stacked squads. While any expectation of going to Stamford Bridge and getting three points should be quickly dismissed, Chelsea have never faired will at Anfield, which is a poor-man’s Veltins Arena. Also, recently Chelsea have shown some susceptibility along the wings, and if Slomka can deploy Ozil, Pander, Jones, etc along the touch, they could spread the field and provide room for Rakitic and Kuranyi. Krstajić will have to be at his best to deal with Didier Drogba, but I think he’s up to the task.

Valencia have started out poorly in La Liga, but are still a great team with the likes of David Villa, Morientes and Zigic up front. The team boasts arguably one of the best midfields in the world with the likes of David Silva, Joaquin, Albelda, Gavilan, Marchena and Angulo. Their defense is solid but is adjusting to life without Roberto Ayala, so it is better to face them early as Moretti and converted midfielder Raul Albiol form a partnership that may be exploitable.

Roseborg are a decent squad, but just do not have the talent to compete in such a stacked group. All teams will need to take six points off them and make sure they make sure their homes are a fortress. I expect this will give Schalke all the advantage they need to sneak past Valencia for the second spot.

Predictions: Chelsea, Schalke, Valencia, Rosenborg

Werder Bremen drew Lazio, Real Madrid and Olympiakos in Group C

Lazio are no longer the giants they once were, and have become a selling team after financial scandal. They are a team that likes to get forward; thus, they are susceptible to the counter, especially now that goalkeeper and excellent organizer Angelo Peruzzi has retired. Goran Pandev is the man to be scared of and Naldo will need to be at his best to slow this emerging star down. The absence of attacking mid Stefano Mauri will help a Bremen side that is missing its best midfield man-markers.

Real Madrid are playing for fun and have started the season with a similar air as Bayern Munich. A team that refuses to sit back typically gives Bremen a hard time, and I expect their two matches will be two of the most entertaining of the group stage. Olympiakos is a team quite capable of causing problems for any of these sides, especially at home. They will undoubtedly surprise at least one team at home and that could be the crucial decider for the top two. Bremen’s backlog of injuries doesn’t bode well; however, if Martin Harnik turns out to be the real deal, the Klose cloud could be lifted from their forward line.

Predictions: Real Madrid, Lazio, Werder Bremen, Olympiakos

Vfb Stuttgart drew Barcelona, Lyon and Rangers in Group E

Barcelona and Lyon have been strong teams for the past few years in the Champions League; however, they are facing troubling times. Barcelona’s fantastic four are already causing headaches for manager Frank Rijkaard and the stagnant form that plagued them towards the end of last season, seems to be present still as Rijkaard’s tactical choices get more and more criticism. Barcelona’s defense, while better than last year, is still a concern with a goalkeeper (Valdez) who is prone to gaffs and a central back (Milito) who is prone to reds. While not an ideal draw for the reigning champion’s, they are capable of playing with the Catalan giants.

Meanwhile, Lyon is suffering from years of success. Their team has been picked apart by richer clubs and now they face the group stage without keeper Gregory Coupet and captain Cris, both suffering long-term injuries. They also enter the contest with a board that doesn’t have full faith in new manager Perrin. Once again they are not a team to take lightly, but Stuttgart are capable of playing with them in both legs. Rangers are a much improved side this year, and are blossoming under Walter Smith, but they do have the air of a team that consists of far-too-many EPL castoffs, so Stuttgart must take six points off the Scottish giants, if they want to get through the group. Much will depend on Cacau's injury for the champs.

Predictions: Barcelona, Stuttgart, Rangers, Lyon

The UEFA Cup draw was much easier for German teams.

Nurnberg takes on Rapid Bucurest of Romania, who finished 4th in Liga 1 last year. Nurnberg has the hardest draw of the three sides as Romania has coefficient rating close to the Netherlands. It’s a good league and Rapid could cause problems for a Nurnberg side that has struggled at the beginning of this season. If new boy Cesinha is allowed to run at the defense, Nurnberg could find themselves up against the wall.

Hamburg takes on Litex of Bulgaria, who finished 4th last year. Newcomer Cedric Cambon anchors the back line while Fabien Boudarène is the defensive linchpin in the midfield. If these two Frenchmen can clog up the space that Rafael van der Vaart typically inhabits, they could provide problems during the away leg for HSV. There should be little problem when the home leg takes place at the Nordbank Arena.

Bayern takes on Belenenses. Belenenes finished 5th last season in the Portuguese Superliga. Had they won it, it is still doubtful that they could muster a positive result against the Bavarians. As it stands, this was a team that needed legal technicalities to avoid relegation and sits bottom of the table currently. Bayern will be able to field the reserves to deal with this team.

Bayer Leverkusen face U.D. Leiria of Portugal. Leiria, a former haunt of Jose Mourinho, and the youngest team in the Superliga, finished last campaign in 7th. Having made few changes, they will come into the tie with good chemistry and a bit of belief as they made it to the competition via the Intertoto Cup.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Hamburg 1 - 1 Bayern Munich

Highlights.