French style, German steel

Goalless draw
The goalless friendly draw between France and Germany at the Stade de France on 12 November, the UEFA Women's Cup semi-final between 1. FFC Frankfurt and Montpellier HSC, and now a double-headed UEFA Cup contest have kept supporters on either side of the border interested.

Border crossings
Today sees two French UEFA Cup contenders come up against German opposition. AS Monaco FC await the visit of Bundesliga giants Hamburger SV in perhaps the most mouthwatering tie of the night, while RC Lens head east to take on Hertha BSC Berlin in the German capital.

German experience
Having spent a season and a half in Germany with BV Borussia Dortmund, Monaco goalkeeper Guillaume Warmuz has experienced life on both banks of the Rhine, and remains a big fan of the Bundesliga.

'Key characteristics'
"I know their teams very well and I remain fond of German football," he said. "Their key characteristics remain their physical skills and their toughness in the challenge. If we are not ready for that kind of thing we'll have trouble throughout the game."

Extra piquancy
With five sides in this season's competition, France are the most represented nation in the UEFA Cup, and with the 20th anniversary of Les Bleus' defeat by West Germany in the 1986 FIFA World Cup semi-finals approaching fast, the ties against German teams have a certain extra piquancy.

Lens scalp
Lens already count one Bundesliga scalp as they travel to Berlin, having eliminated VfL Wolfsburg in the UEFA Intertoto Cup second round, claiming an emphatic 4-0 home win after a goalless draw in the first leg.

Cultural strength
However, VfB Stuttgart levelled the inter-national score on UEFA Cup Matchday 1 as late goals from Jon Dahl Tomasson and former Paris Saint-Germain FC forward Danijel Ljuboja earned a 2-0 win at Stade Rennais FC. "That was no surprise," Werder Bremen's French playmaker Johan Micoud told uefa.com. "They never give up. Either at 0-0 or when they're 3-0 or 4-0 up. It's their culture."

Developing game
Yet while the Teuton work ethic continues to daunt opponents, Warmuz feels the game in Germany has developed in recent years, giving Bundesliga sides more creative craft to add to their formidable graft. "There has been an evolution in their game," he said. "They can play on the floor and they have fine technicians, either German or from abroad. It makes their league even more interesting."