Leverkusen hope to call the shots at home

The factory club, chasing their first German title after finishing runners-up three times in the last five seasons, saw their fate slip out of their own hands by suffering their second straight defeat a week after losing 2-1 to Werder Bremen.

Coach Klaus Toppmoeller wore his lucky piano-keyboard tie for Saturday’s game, hoping it would help his team secure the title and boost their morale ahead of the United showdown. But the tie, which he had worn through 10 straight games without defeat earlier in the season, let him down this time. Czech defender Marek Nikl headed home in the first half as Nuremberg assured their top-flight status. Toppmoeller had opted for the same starting line-up as for the game at Old Trafford, but his team looked a pale shadow of the one who grabbed the draw in Manchester.

With no major injury worries and no players suspended, the Leverkusen team should look roughly the same again at the BayArena on Tuesday.

Much will depend on which Leverkusen side turns up. The one who recorded brilliant wins over Barcelona, Juventus and Liverpool to reach the last four of the Champions League for the first time are perfectly capable of ending United’s dream of making next month’s final in manager Alex Ferguson’s home city of Glasgow. But the one who lived up to an unenviable reputation for choking by losing to Werder and Nuremberg should allow the expensive premier league outfit to go through.

“Everything is possible,” said Toppmoeller, who knows that a goalless draw, or even a 1-1 tie, would earn his team a ticket to Scotland. “We must concentrate on the job at hand and we must believe in ourselves.”

Toppmoeller had made it clear that the Bundesliga title was his top priority, but any silverware will do now.

Leverkusen are through to the German Cup final as well and remain on course for an historic treble as no German club, not even Bayern Munich, have ever won the domestic league and Cup titles and the European Cup in the same season. But they could also end up empty-handed again, confirming their reputation as the nearly men of German soccer. Commercial manager Reiner Calmund, who has experienced many setbacks in over two decades at the club, said he no longer believed Leverkusen will be German champions this year. “You have to be realistic,” he said after the Nuremberg game. “This defeat is a vicious knock-out blow. We’re down on the ground, and it really hurts.” Toppmoeller said he badly wanted Leverkusen to finish the season with a trophy of some sort, if only for Calmund.

(Reuters)

Celebrations premature, says Ferguson

London: Alex Ferguson plans to make Bayer Leverkusen pay for their premature celebrations as Manchester United aim to defy the odds and clinch a place in the champions league final tomorrow.

The United manager believes Leverkusen may be overly confident, judging by their reactions after their 2-2 draw at Old Trafford last Wednesday.

The Leverkusen players hugged each other and went over to celebrate with their fans as if they had won the final itself, rather than just drawn the first-leg of the semi-final.

“They were celebrating at the end of the first game and that gives you a little bit of hope,” Ferguson said. “Because it’s my belief in life that you don’t take things for granted. Everyone saw that and I think they may be in for a fight themselves come Tuesday.”

Ferguson is confident his team will score in Germany to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for their second champions league final in four seasons.

“Away from home this season we have been terrific in European games,” Ferguson added.