RCD Espanyol - Werder Bremen MATCH PRESS KIT Olímpico de Montjuic, Barcelona Thursday, 26 April 2007 - 20:45 local time Semi-finals, first leg - Matchday 12 Contents 1 - Match background 6 - Competition facts 2 - Squad list 7 - Team facts 3 - Match officials 8 - Competition information 4 - Domestic information 9 - Legend 5 - Match-by-match lineups Match background The 2006/07 UEFA Cup's top scorers RCD Espanyol will look to build up a good lead as they welcome Werder Bremen in the first leg of their semi-final, the first European meeting of the two sides. • Espanyol reached the Round of 32 as Group F winners - one of only two clubs along with Tottenham Hotspur FC to win all four matches - and then beat AS Livorno Calcio 2-1 away and 2-0 at home to progress to the last 16. A goalless draw at Maccabi Haifa FC in the Round of 16 ended Espanyol's run of seven straight victories, but they made amends with a 4-0 win in the return leg to reach the quarter-finals. They won 3-2 at home against SL Benfica in the quarter-finals and progressed with a goalless draw in the away leg. • The 0-0 draw in Lisbon was Espanyol's 50th UEFA Cup appearance. • Bremen earned a UEFA Cup place after finishing third behind Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona in UEFA Champions League Group A. The 1992 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup victors then eliminated AFC Ajax, winning 3-0 at the Weserstadion and losing 3-1 at the Amsterdam ArenA. They reached the quarter-finals with a 1-0 away victory and a 2-0 win at home against RC Celta de Vigo and then drew 0-0 at AZ Alkmaar in the last eight before winning the home leg 4-1. • Bremen's four goals against AZ took their total in UEFA club competition to 299 goals. • Espanyol have been paired with German sides in four previous European ties. They lost 2-1 at TSV Eintracht Braunschweig and won 2-0 at home in the 1976/77 UEFA Cup. In the 1987/88 UEFA Cup first round they won 1-0 at VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach then triumphed 4-1 at home en route to a final with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. They won the final home leg 3-0 but lost the return by the same score, and were eventually defeated on penalties. • More recently Espanyol lost 2-1 away and 3-0 at home against FC Schalke 04 in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup Round of 32. Their record in eight games against German sides reads won four and lost four with 12 goals scored and eight conceded. • Those games will be particularly memorable for Espanyol coach Ernesto Valverde. He appeared in both matches against Mönchengladbach, scoring his only European goal in the second leg, and also played in the first leg of the final against Leverkusen, Espanyol's last victory against a German side. Last updated 25.04.2007 11:44:03CET www.uefa.com Page 1 RCD Espanyol - Werder Bremen MATCH PRESS KIT • Bremen have played in four European ties against Spanish sides as well as being pooled with Primera División opponents in three successive UEFA Champions League group stage campaigns. • Their biggest meeting with a Spanish side came in 1992 when they took on FC Barcelona in the UEFA Super Cup, drawing 1-1 at home before losing 2-1 at Camp Nou. Current Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf made a 30-minute appearance in that latter game. • Schaaf also played in both legs of Bremen's tie with Club Atlético de Madrid in the 1986/87 UEFA Cup first round. Bremen lost 2-0 in Madrid but levelled the scores in normal time at the Weserstadion only to lose in extra time. • In total, their record in 14 games against Spanish sides reads won five, drawn three and lost six with 15 goals scored and 19 conceded. They have won their last two meetings with Primera División opponents, recording 1-0 away and 2-0 home victories against Celta in this season's Round of 16. • Espanyol remain the highest scorers in this season's UEFA Cup with 27 goals. They have conceded just eight. • Valverde's men have scored relatively consistently throughout games, with a burst just after half-time; seven of their goals have been scored between the 46th and 60th minutes. • Uruguayan striker Walter Pandiani is the tournament's top scorer this season with ten goals, while Luis García has managed six strikes. • Bremen have scored eleven goals and conceded four since moving from the UEFA Champions League group stage into the UEFA Cup Round of 32. Prior to that, they had scored seven and conceded five in Europe's top club competition. • Eight of Bremen's goals have come after half-time, with Hugo Almeida proving the most potent scorer with three in the competition. • Espanyol's Francisco Chica will celebrate his 22nd birthday on 17 May, the day after the UEFA Cup final. • Espanyol's Jesús María Lacruz turns 29 on 25 April, the day before their first leg tie against Bremen. Top scorer Walter Pandiani will celebrate his 31st birthday a day later, on 27 April. A third Espanyol player, Iván de la Peña will turn 31 on 6 May, three days after the second leg with Bremen. • Bremen midfielder Tim Borowski celebrates his 27th birthday on 2 May, the day before the Espanyol return • Italy are the most successful UEFA Cup nation with nine victories. A success for Bremen this season would move Germany on to seven victories. They are currently joint second in the UEFA Cup rankings with England with six triumphs apiece, two more than Spain. • Espanyol start the first leg with Francisco Chica, Luis García and Pablo Javier Zabaleta serving one-match suspensions after being booked in Lisbon, along with Ivan de la Peña and Ito, who join Albert Riera, Moisés Hurtado, Pandiani and Francisco Rufete on two yellow cards. All are within a caution of missing their next European game. • Bremen have no suspension problems but Tim Wiese's booking against AZ means he joins six other players within one caution of a ban: Tim Borowski, Torsten Frings, Clemens Fritz, Diego, Naldo and Pierre Wome are the others. • The return will be played in Bremen on 3 May. The aggregate winners will face CA Osasuna or Sevilla FC in the final at Hampden Park on 16 May. For administrative purposes, Espanyol or Bremen will be classed as the home team. Last updated 25.04.2007 11:44:03 CET www.uefa.com Page 2 RCD Espanyol - Werder Bremen MATCH PRESS KIT Squad list Espanyol Current season All-time UIC UCL UCUP UCUP UEFA No Player Nat. DoB A BL Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Gorka Iraizoz ESP 06.03.1981 26 - - - - - 11 - 17 - 17 - 25 Idriss Kaméni ESP 18.02.1984 23 - - - - - - - 2 - 2 - 27 Gabriel Ribas ESP 02.12.1985 21 - - - - - - - - - - - Defenders 2 Armando Sá POR 16.09.1975 31 - - - - - - - 18 - 26 - 3 David García ESP 16.01.1981 26 - - - - - 4 - 9 - 9 - 4 Jesus María Lacruz ESP 25.04.1978 29 - - - - - 8 1 10 1 15 1 5 Sergio ESP 03.04.1986 21 - - - - - 2 - 3 - 3 - 12 Juan Velasco ESP 17.05.1977 29 - - - - - 4 - 25 - 36 - 13 César Peixoto POR 12.05.1980 26 - - - - - - - 2 - 10 - 19 Marc Torrejón ESP 18.02.1986 21 - - - - - 6 - 6 - 6 - 21 Daniel Jarque ESP 01.01.1983 24 - - - - - 10 - 18 - 18 - 22 Moisés Hurtado ESP 20.02.1981 26 * - - - - 9 - 14 1 15 1 30 Francisco Chica ESP 17.05.1985 21 S - - - - 9 - 9 - 9 - 31 Angel Martínez ESP 31.01.1986 21 - - - - - - - - - - - Midfielders 6 Eduardo Costa BRA 23.09.1982 24 - - - - - 7 - 32 1 32 1 8 Pablo Javier Zabaleta ARG 16.01.1985 22 S - - - - 6 - 13 - 13 - 9 Iván de la Peña ESP 06.05.1976 30 * - - - - 7 1 22 3 45 4 14 Ito ESP 21.01.1975 32 * - - - - 7 - 20 - 20 - 15 Fredson Camara ESP 22.02.1981 26 - - - - - 1 - 6 1 6 1 16 Jônatas BRA 29.07.1982 24 - - - - - 3 - 3 - 3 - 17 Moha ESP 12.09.1977 29 - - - - - 7 1 9 1 9 1 28 Julián ESP 27.02.1987 20 - - - - - 1 - 1 - 1 - Forwards 7 Walter Pandiani URU 27.04.1976 30 * - - - - 11 10 13 10 57 23 10 Luis García ESP 06.02.1981 26 S - - - - 10 6 18 8 18 8 11 Albert Riera ESP 15.04.1982 25 * - - - - 9 3 22 8 25 8 18 Francisco Rufete ESP 20.11.1976 30 * - - - - 8 - 28 4 50 8 20 Coro ESP 05.01.1983 24 - - - - - 9 3 16 3 16 3 23 Raúl Tamudo ESP 19.10.1977 29 - - - - - 4 2 10 5 16 7 24 Jonathan Soriano ESP 24.09.1985 21 - - - - - - - 3 - 3 - 29 Marc Pedraza ESP 06.02.1987 20 - - - - - - - - - - - Coach Ernesto Valverde ESP 09.02.1964 43 - - - - - 12 - 20 - 21 - Last updated 25.04.2007 11:44:03 CET www.uefa.com Page 3 RCD Espanyol - Werder Bremen MATCH PRESS KIT Squad list Bremen Current season All-time UIC UCL UCUP UCUP UEFA No Player Nat. DoB A BL Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Andreas Reinke GER 10.01.1969 38 - - - 1 - - - 16 - 46 - 18 Tim Wiese GER 17.12.1981 25 * - - 5 - 6 - 8 - 15 - 30 Kasper Jensen DEN 07.10.1982 24 - - - - - - - - - - - 33 Christian Vander GER 24.10.1980 26 - - - - - - - - - - - Defenders 3 Petri Pasanen FIN 24.09.1980 26 - - - 2 - 3 - 6 - 32 1 4 Naldo BRA 10.09.1982 24 * - - 6 1 6 1 6 1 21 2 5 Pierre Wome CMR 26.03.1979 28 * - - 5 - 5 - 15 - 28 - 8 Clemens Fritz GER 07.12.1980 26 * - - 6 - 5 1 7 1 14 1 15 Patrick Owomoyela GER 05.11.1979 27 - - - 1 - 3 - 3 - 14 - 26 Florian Mohr GER 25.08.1984 22 - - - - - - - - - - - 27 Christian Schulz GER 01.04.1983 24 - - - 3 - 4 - 4 - 20 1 29 Per Mertesacker GER 29.09.1984 22 - - - 5 1 5 1 5 1 10 2 Midfielders 6 Frank Baumann GER 29.10.1975 31 - - - 3 1 1 - 19 3 41 5 7 Jurica Vranješ CRO 31.01.1980 27 - - - 2 - 6 - 14 - 44 1 10 Diego ITA 28.02.1985 22 * - - 6 1 6 1 6 1 23 4 19 Jérôme Polenz GER 07.11.1986 20 - - - - - - - - - - - 20 Daniel Jensen DEN 25.06.1979 27 - - - 2 - 3 - 5 - 24 3 22 Torsten Frings GER 22.11.1976 30 * - - 6 1 6 1 24 1 73 10 24 Tim Borowski GER 02.05.1980 26 * - - 4 - 2 1 4 3 26 6 31 Kevin Artmann GER 21.04.1986 21 - - - - - - - - - - - 38 Amaury Bischoff FRA 31.03.1987 20 - - - - - 1 - 1 - 1 - Forwards 11 Miroslav Klose GER 09.06.1978 28 - - - 6 - 5 2 19 5 42 11 14 Aaron Hunt GER 04.09.1986 20 - - - 5 - 5 - 5 - 17 - 17 Ivan Klasnić CRO 29.01.1980 27 - - - 6 - - - 3 2 25 9 23 Hugo Almeida POR 23.05.1984 22 - - - 4 - 6 3 6 3 20 4 28 Kevin Schindler GER 21.05.1988 18 - - - - - 2 - 2 - 2 - Coach Thomas Schaaf GER 30.04.1961 45 - - - 6 - 6 - 26 - 56 - Last updated 25.04.2007 11:44:03 CET www.uefa.com Page 4 RCD Espanyol - Werder Bremen MATCH PRESS KIT Match officials Referee Tom Henning Øvrebø (NOR) Assistant referees Geir Age Holen (NOR), Erik Raestad (NOR) Fourth official Tommy Skjerven (NOR) UEFA Delegate Kazimierz Oleszek (POL) UEFA Referee observer Kenneth Ridden (ENG) Referee Name Nat.