The emphasis will be on attack as Werder Bremen go in search of their first victory in Champions League Group C, when they face Udinese.
“If we want to keep alive our hopes of reaching the next round, we have to win,” acknowledged Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf.
Understandably, Schaaf is relieved to have his leading striker Miroslav Klose fit after recovering from a calf injury.
Croatian international Ivan Klasnic will also be back after missing the 1-1 draw in Udine through suspension.
“Together they are quality,” said Schaaf. “It’s good to know you can count on something that you know works well.
“We have proven in the Bundesliga that we can create an enormous amount of pressure up front, it’s time we showed that on the European stage,” Schaaf added.
Udinese coach Serse Cosmi believes his team travel to Germany as underdogs.
“They’ve deserved more than they’ve achieved in this competition, and are favourites to win on Wednesday,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we’ll be going there to get a draw.”
“When you see what Bremen have done in the Bundesliga of late, you’ve got to have a great deal of respect for them – in particular their attack,” Cosmi admitted.
“One shouldn’t forget that we are Udinese, not AC Milan or FC Barcelona,” the coach went on. “Yet we are here in the UEFA Champions League and that is a huge success for us. We will do our best to play well in Bremen and they have to win, which could work to our advantage.”
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