UEFA Cup Preview: Milan-Werder Bremen

The draw between these two sides last week leaves the tie still up in the air heading into the second leg in Milan.

Kick-Off: Thursday, February 26, 20:45 CET. San Siro, Milan, Italy

Slight Advantage

Following the 1-1 draw last Wednesday in Germany, Milan have high hopes of securing their advancement by obtaining another positive result on home soil. Seen as the tournament favorites at the start of the season, they will be looking to keep that status.
It is not going to be an easy task to defeat Werder in the second leg. The Germans possess great aerial ability and will surely use that to their advantage, and Milan know this full well.
When asked about this match, Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko said, "The whole team wants to do well in the UEFA Cup, especially against a tough opponent like Werder. I hope the stadium is full. Milan will have to play well to go through. They will be forced to look for the goal to qualify, and we will have to stop them.
"Werder have very tall players and the whole team will have to collaborate to avoid conceding goals, especially on headers.”
Kaka was not risked at the weekend, and will feature in this match. He hasn’t played since injuring his foot against Reggina on February 7, so he will be a bit off-form. Still, a player with his ability cannot be left on the bench when healthy.

All Of Their Eggs In One Basket

Seeing as Werder Bremen lost once again on Saturday, 2-1 away to Energie Cottbus, they must now put everything they have into winning this match. They are in eleventh place in the German Bundesliga, currently fifteen points behind leaders Hamburg.
Having failed to win against Milan in the first leg, drawing 1-1, Werder now have a tough task ahead of them. The Italian outfit will surely be eager to score early in the second leg, hoping to put the Germans out of the competition with a classy display. But Milan haven’t played very well since February 1, when they defeated Lazio 3-0 in Rome.
Werder simply cannot sit back and allow the Rossoneri to control the match. They must go for the win and play hard. That is what they’ve been doing this season, of course, but they just haven’t obtained the results they wanted.
Manager Thomas Schaaf summed the situation up by saying, "We can be satisfied with how we have been playing, but obviously we can't be happy with the results. At the moment this team isn't getting results, but the situation doesn't scare us. We'll see things in a realistic way, we have understood our problems."

FORM GUIDE

Milan

01/02 (Serie A): Lazio 0-3 Milan

07/02 (Serie A): Milan 1-1 Reggina

15/02 (Serie A): Inter 2-1 Milan

18/02 (UEFA Cup): Werder 1-1 Milan

22/02 (Serie A): Milan 1-0 Cagliari

Werder

01/02 (Bundesliga): Werder 1-2 Arminia Bielefeld

07/02 (Bundesliga): Shalke 1-0 Werder

14/02 (Bundesliga): Werder 1-1 Borussia Monchengladbach

18/02 (UEFA Cup): Werder 1-1 Milan

21/02 (Bundesliga): Energie Cottbus 2-1 Werder

TEAM NEWS

Milan

Alessandro Nesta and Gennaro Gattuso are long term injury absentees. Kaka will be able to play in this match, and chances are that he will play from the start. Andriy Shevchenko has returned to training and could play a part in this match if Milan need a goal late on.
Milan have no suspended players, but Luca Antonini and Giuseppe Favalli will miss the next round if they get a yellow card here, should Milan progress that is.
Possible Formation (4-3-2-1): Dida; Antonini, Bonera, Maldini, Jankulovski; Beckham, Pirlo, Ambrosini; Ronaldinho, Kaka; Inzaghi

Werder

The Germans have been struggling mightily for wins, but they will have a bit of a boost with the news that Aaron Hunt has returned to training and should be available to play. First choice goalkeeper Tim Wiese is suffering from a muscle tear in his thigh and will not be able to play in this match, while Jurica Vranjes has also been left out of the squad.
Torsten Frings returns from suspension, while Frank Baumann, Daniel Jensen and Diego face a suspension should they be cautioned.
Possible Formation (4-3-1-2): Vander; Fritz, Mertesacker, Naldo, Boenisch; Frings, Jensen, Baumann; Diego; Almeida, Pizarro

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Milan

Having not played for a couple of weeks, Kaka may be rusty in the early going. Also, if Ronaldinho gets the nod ahead of Clarence Seedorf, he too will need to recover his form, having not played at the weekend.

Werder

Diego is the always the main target for opposing defenses when playing Werder Bremen, and that will not change in this match. He was the reason they took anything away from the first leg last week. Players such as Per Mertesacker and Claudio Pizarro will be key for the Germans on set pieces.

PREDICTION

Here’s how it will go― Milan will control the pace of the match, but do so in a methodical manner; Werder Bremen will try to absorb the Milan attack and hit them on the counterattack, which often works against Milan. However, the Italians will do their utmost to score early and often, and their efforts may well pay dividends.

Milan 2-1 Werder Bremen

Joel Whitehead, Goal.com