Bremen sweat on fitness of midfield pair
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Article summary
Werder Bremen midfield pair Peter Niemeyer and Frank Baumann are injury concerns for Thursday's UEFA Cup semi-final first leg against Hanseatic rivals Hamburger SV with both players suffering from thigh muscle knocks.
Article top media content
Article body
Werder Bremen midfield pair Peter Niemeyer and Frank Baumann both have injury concerns ahead of Thursday's UEFA Cup semi-final first leg against Hamburger SV.
Thigh problems
Niemeyer played the full 90 minutes of Bremen's 3-2 win against VfL Bochum 1848 on Sunday but complained of a thigh problem afterwards. "I felt something in my muscle during the game against Bochum," the 25-year-old said. "I thought it wouldn't be any worse than sore, but it has not improved since Saturday. I still hope to be able to play on Thursday." Baumann, who has a similar problem, was forced to sit out the weekend's game and said: "If the muscle gets no worse, I will be available against HSV." The two sides meet at the Weserstadion this week before the return leg at Hamburg on 7 May.
