Weder Bremen, Ajax prepare for UEFA Cup clash

Bremen:

Werder Bremen of Germany and Holland's Ajax of Amsterdam meet at the Weserstadion in Bremen in the first leg of their UEFA Cup round of 32 match on Wednesday, and as both sides put the final touches to their preparations on the eve of the match, both coaches have their problems. Home coach Thomas Schaff has to turn around an alarming dip in form that has seen Bremen slip six points behind leaders FC Schalke in the Bundesliga, while his opposite number Henk ten Cate has a long injury list to contend with. Ten Cate, despite his side's perfect start to the second half of the Dutch season - four wins from four - played down Ajax's chances as he faced the media at the venue on Tuesday (13/02), but his thinly-veiled attempts to portray his team as underdogs are not likely to convince the Bremen faithful, or the players themselves.