Leverkusen welcome old foes

By Mark Bennett in Leverkusen

After a year of watching the UEFA Champions League on television, Bayer 04 Leverkusen are back in the competition and will face a side they still have a score to settle with in Real Madrid CF.

Final defeat
In 2002 Leverkusen slipped to a 2-1 defeat against the Spaniards in the UEFA Champions League final in Glasgow, one of three competitions they finished runners-up in that year. At least in coach Klaus Augenthaler, someone at Leverkusen has happy memories of facing Madrid - from his days of playing in the European Champion Clubs' Cup with FC Bayern München.

Coaches reunited
In the 1986/87 season Augenthaler was part of the Bayern side that gained a 5-1 aggregate victory against a Madrid side containing José Antonio Camacho - now in charge of the visitors. None the less Augenthaler is not looking to the past. "Everybody knows that I have a history with Madrid, but that is not important," Augenthaler said. "The important thing is for us to perform well against Madrid [now]."

Bayern win
Despite rating his side as the underdogs Augenthaler is not lacking in confidence - something which must have been in plentiful supply following the 4-1 victory against Bayern a fortnight ago, although Leverkusen have since slipped from the Bundesliga summit, losing 2-0 against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday.

Unchanged team
"We need to play just as well, if not better than in our 4-1 win against Bayern. If we do we have got every chance of winning," said Augenthaler, who will field the same team that played both in that match and the Mainz defeat. "I want to give the players that blew it against Mainz a chance to redeem themselves."

Duo absent
Auguenthaler is without Jens Nowotny, who is still not fully fit after knee surgery, and Clemens Fritz, sidelined with a broken leg. Captaining the side will be Carsten Ramelow, one of six survivors from the 2002 encounter. "We were the better team in Glasgow, but lost," Ramelow said. "Nothing can change. But I have never beaten Madrid in my career and I think it is about time that my luck changed."

Camacho keeps quiet
Unlike Augenthaler, Camacho is keeping his selection cards close to his chest. "I will not comment on the lineup," said the Madrid coach, who is without English international Jonathan Woodgate through injury but can turn to his other new centre-back, the Argentinian Walter Samuel. "I refuse to make changes just for the sake of making changes. We will see how fit the players are in training this evening and if anybody is tired, he will be given a rest," he said.

Important attitude
Camacho was much more willing to explain the attitude he expected of his players in every match. "I do not think that it should make a difference to the players if we are playing in the Champions League or in the domestic league," he said." Real Madrid should always be out to win games and win them impressively. If my players start thinking that some opponents can be taken lightly, then I will have to change that."

Team spirit
The biggest task of recent Madrid coaches has been to fashion a coherent team from a squad of expensive individuals. Camacho - whose side have won their two Primera División matches to date - said: "I know that we have some huge names in the squad and the players are known all over the world. But Real Madrid is a huge name too and the players should be honoured to play for this club."