Montpellier and Umeå must break deadlock

Montpellier Hérault SC gave themselves a great chance of reaching the UEFA Women's Champions League semi-finals when they drew 0-0 at Umeå IK last week but coach Sarah M'Barek is worried about fatigue ahead of Wednesday's return.

As in the previous round, Montpellier will stage their home leg at La Mosson, the ground belonging to their men's club where more than 5,600 fans watched them hold FC Bayern München 0-0 in the round of 16 before going through in Germany. The 2005/06 semi-finalists returned from Sweden to beat the French league's bottom side AS Montigny-le-Bretonneux 5-1 at the weekend with Marie-Laure Delie scoring twice, a good omen as they defeated the same club 5-2 in between the two Bayern legs.

Several of M'Barek's regulars were rested at the weekend, the coach explaining: "In Sweden we suffered physically in the second half and we could have lost that game. Every player, including the substitutes, gained experience on that trip. They realise how demanding the highest level is."

Umeå won the former UEFA Women's Cup twice and reached three other finals, only losing one of their previous six last-eight ties, to compatriots Djurgården/Älvsjö in 2004/05. Striker Hanna Pettersson remains sidelined by a knee injury meaning Umeå are unchanged since their first competitive game under coach Joakim Blomqvist last week.

While solid in defence, they created few chances against Montpellier and Blomqvist has made attack the focus of training. "We've worked a lot on the movements of the forwards," he said. "Montpellier allowed some space in their back line, which I hope we can exploit. "

Blomqvist has analysed last week's encounter on video, but does not expect the return leg to resemble the first. "They'll probably try to have more possession when they play at home," the Umeå coach said. "That could give us the chance to launch quick attacks."

Not only did Umeå have a new coach for the home game but four of their starters were making European debuts. "Our young players have grown a lot after last week and can't wait to play again," Blomqvist said. "The second time is always easier."