Bremen target European fillip

After seeing his side's Bundesliga title charge derailed by back-to-back losses, Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf is hoping a good UEFA Cup Round of 32 performance against AFC Ajax can help his side get back on track.

Lost form
Top of the table on goal difference at the start of the month, Bremen appeared well set to go on and repeat their 2003/04 success. But they have since lost their way. First, they slipped to a 2-0 defeat against title rivals FC Schalke 04 on 4 February before being overawed 4-1 by in-form VfB Stuttgart last Saturday, a reverse that has left them six points off the Bundesliga summit, with thorny trips to FC Bayern München and Hertha BSC Berlin still to come before the end of the campaign. Resurgent Hamburger SV are up next weekend, but first there is the visit of Ajax to contend with, much to Tim Borowski's relief. "I think it is an advantage that it is coming up so soon," said the midfielder.

'Top team'
Yet there is little complacency. The Dutch side have won four games in a row to help haul back PSV Eindhoven's Eredivisie lead to three points, and Schaaf is well aware of their pedigree. "It will be an attractive tie as Ajax have been Champions League regulars over recent years," the 45-year-old said. "There's not much to say about a club that has won the championship so many times. They are a top side in Europe. They have been a force on the international stage for years. They are second in the league and recently beat Feyenoord [4-1] and played very well. They are a top team." It is an opinion shared by Schaaf's players, but Torsten Frings insists confidence remains high despite the setbacks.

Resolute belief
"Werder Bremen are certainly capable of winning the UEFA Cup," said the 30-year-old. "But there are others too. In Ajax we have been handed a tough draw and we have to be at our best. We should progress, but we could always lose." Bremen are no strangers to the unexpected. They confounded many by coming within a point of progressing from a UEFA Champions League group that paired them with FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC – including a win against the English champions – and that form has instilled a belief in the side that will need more than a couple of defeats to lose. "Our confidence is not shaken," Frings said. "We have proved we can beat anyone. The world does not sink after just a couple of defeats."

Pivotal match
One interested spectator at the Weserstadion will be former Ajax striker Markus Rosenberg, who moved during the winter and is ineligible to play. With Ivan Klasnić also sidelined, either Aaron Hunt or Hugo Almeida will partner Miroslav Klose in attack. Klose has been in fine fettle this term, and sees the Ajax match as a good chance to stop Bremen's slide. "It will show whether the Stuttgart defeat really was a big blow for us or not," he said. The stakes are high.