Up for the Cup

If you believe what you hear, you could be fooled into thinking that there is only one big European fixture on the horizon for Germany's teams in the next week.

With their domestic league form mixed at best, Bayern Munich's season hinges on their Champions League clash against Real Madrid on Feb. 20. It is undoubtedly a huge game; if Bayern lose the tie over two legs, they will have to resign themselves to a season without silverware.

But the Bavarian giants are not the only German team still in the hunt for European honors. Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen take on difficult opposition on Wednesday night in the first knock-out round of the UEFA Cup. Leverkusen take on English Premiership side Blackburn Rovers while Werder have a tricky tie against Ajax Amsterdam.

Despite its reputation as the Champions League's poorer relation, the UEFA Cup is still a hard fought and extremely difficult competition to win. After format changes in the 2004/05 season that introduced a league round and the inclusion of those third-placed Champions League sides that missed out on qualification, the UEFA Cup now has more games and now features tougher teams.

German clubs go for first win in a decade

It has been exactly ten years since a German team last won the trophy -- Schalke 04 beating Inter Milan on penalties in the 1996/07 final -- and the list of winners since shows that the UEFA Cup is hardly a competition for minnows.

Leverkusen and Bremen both hope to mark the anniversary by bringing the cup back to Germany for the first time in a decade.

For Werder, the UEFA Cup may at first seem like an anti-climax. Thrust into undoubtedly the hardest group stage of this season's Champions League, Thomas Schaaf's side cruelly missed out on an historic qualification from Group A by one point after beating English champions Chelsea at the Weserstadion and holding the current European champions Barcelona to a draw.

Werder dropped into the UEFA Cup at the start of the knock-out stages and instantly became one of the favorites to win the trophy on the back of their Bundesliga form and improving European credentials. However, if Bremen thought they were in for an easy time, the draw had them thinking again.

Bremen face Dutch masters in sticky knock-out tie

Ajax Amsterdam have four European Cups to their name, one UEFA Cup, 29 Dutch championship titles and are currently second in the Dutch league. A club which did much to introduce the concept of Total Football to the world, a fluid system which allows the outfield players the freedom to swap positions, Ajax will prove to be a real test for Bremen.

While not exactly a team known for a lack of confidence, two successive defeats in the Bundesliga have put Werder six points behind leaders Schalke 04 and have knocked them out of their free-scoring rhythm. "We'll have to see whether this latest defeat gives us the spur we need -- or not," Bremen's Germany striker Miroslav Klose said Tuesday.

Ajax, whose Dutch title hopes have been re-ignited by closest rivals PSV Eindhoven's poor run, have defensive worries with injuries ruling out defenders Urby Emanuelson, Zdenek Grygera and Thomas Vermaelen.

Recently re-signed Amsterdam legend Edgar Davids is cup-tied for the remainder of the competition after featuring for former club Tottenham Hotspur in the group stage.

For Bayer Leverkusen, the UEFA Cup offers a glamorous respite from the rigors of their mediocre Bundesliga campaign. However, things will have to pick up for Michael Skibbe's team if they are to carry on enjoying its distractions.

Unconvincing Leverkusen meet battling Blackburn

Currently lying seventh in the league, Bayer have had a mixed season domestically and have also struggled to maintain any consistency in Europe. Leverkusen limped out of Group B in third place with just four points and will meet Group E winners Blackburn, a team that only dropped two points in qualifying.

Blackburn are also enduring a less than exemplary season in the Premiership but have definitely reserved their best performances for the UEFA Cup, fired by pre-season signing Benni McCarthy, a UEFA Cup winner with FC Porto in 2003.

Rovers play a robust game as one would expect from a team managed by the combative Mark Hughes, a former Bayern Munich player. Leverkusen's progress is far from assured.

Injuries plague both sides ahead of clash

Things have been made worse by injuries to defenders Juan and Roque Junior and coach Skibbe may also have to do without captain Carsten Ramelow. The influential midfielder made his comeback from a knee operation in Saturday's 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt but he is still far from fully match fit.

"The comeback was way too soon but I needed him," said Skibbe, who will have to think hard before asking Ramelow to play a second game in five days.

Blackburn hope midfielder David Dunn will have recovered from a dead leg in time for the Leverkusen match after picking up the injury at the weekend. "It should settle down and it shouldn't be a problem for him," Hughes told the club's Web site on Tuesday.

Rovers will also be without long-term injury victims Robbie Savage and Andre Ooijer, who are both recovering from broken legs.