SOCCER UEFA CUP SEMI-FINAL:CONSIDERING THE widespread fascination with the domestic football fare in England, Spain and Italy, it is, perhaps, surprising that the best-attended league on the continent is organised by the Deutsche Fußball Liga, writes DAMIAN CULLEN

Even inside Germany, the focus is also westward and southward – with teams such as Dortmund, Leverkusen, Stuttgart and, of course, Bayern Munich, usually grabbing the headlines.

At the very top of the country, however, two neighbouring city clubs are about to engage in battle on a European stage.

Werder Bremen and Hamburg are currently in the eye of a unique run of meetings. From last Wednesday to next Saturday week (a stretch of 19 days), the clubs clash four times. Four crucial games for both clubs. It is, a defining moment in the history of the north Germany derbies.

The cities, just 100km apart, have faced each other 89 times in Germany’s top division. Werder Bremen hold the slightest of edges, with 29 wins to Hamburg’s 28. A remarkable 32 have ended without a winner, though that shouldn’t be taken as evidence of boring derby encounters, as each meeting has averaged three goals.

Last Wednesday, the two met in the German Cup semi-final at Hamburg. It is 22 years since Hamburg claimed the last of their three cup crowns. They haven’t even made a final appearance since then. Their wait goes on.

In the semi-final, in front of 55,000 spectators at HSH Nordbank Arena, a tense affair finished level after normal time.

After more stalemate during extra-time, the home side buckled under the pressure of penalties. Werder Bremen – who last won the competition in 2004, when they also claimed the league title – will now meet Bayer Leverkusen in the decider at the end of May at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

It was during that remarkable double season that Werder Bremen recorded one of their most memorable victories over their neighbours. Not expected to challenge for the title, Bremen were six points clear of Bayern Munich late in the season, when Hamburg came to town.

Aílton Gonçalves da Silva (who would later, and briefly, play for Hamburg) scored a hat-trick in the home side’s 6-0 demolition of their old foe and in so doing almost guarantee the league crown. Hamburg did record two 5-0 victories against their neighbours – but both are a distant memory, with the most recent during the 1981/82 season.

In this latest, 19-day, four-date meeting of the Hanseatic derby rivals it’s now two hours down, at least four and a half more to go.

Like the 2004 result, the recent semi-final loss was a crushing blow for Martin Jol’s side. The former Tottenham manager’s tenure at Hamburg has so far been an incredible success – and apart from making the semi-finals of the German Cup and the Uefa Cup, they are currently flying high in the German league.

With five rounds to play, the Bundesliga is surely the most competitive in Europe at the moment. In the Italian Serie A, the difference between first (Inter Milan) and fifth (Genoa) is 17 points. In England, the gap between leaders Manchester United and fifth-placed Aston Villa is 22 points. In Scotland, Celtic are 26 points ahead of Aberdeen and, in Spain, Barcelona are 27 points ahead of Villarreal. In Germany, the difference between first (Wolfsburg) and fifth (Hamburg) is a mere three points.

This makes the last game in the run of four derby meetings as crucial as any of the others – Werder Bremen will host their fierce rivals knowing a home Bundesliga victory could end Hamburg’s league title ambitions.

First, though, is the small matter of two Uefa Cup semi-final matches – the first tomorrow at Bremen with the return leg the following Thursday.

It’s heady days for Hamburg, with memories of the club’s golden era in the early 1980s flooding back. In 1982, they reached the Uefa Cup final for the first and, to date, only time – losing to a Sven-Göran Eriksson-managed IFK Göteborg in the decider.

A year later, after again claiming the German league title, they reached the European Cup final. An early Wolfgang-Felix Magath goal resulted in a famous victory against a Giovanni Trapattoni-managed Juventus (which included such stars as Dino Zoff and Michel Platini).

Magath went on to manage both Hamburg and Werder Bremen in the 1990s and is the current manager of first-placed VfL Wolfsburg. Werder Bremen actually beat the current league leaders 5-2 in the quarter-finals of the German Cup and they do not lack for fire-power – with former Chelsea strike Claudio Pizarro and Brazil international Diego manning the front guns.

“The rivalry is big, huge,” said Bremen captain Torsten Frings, ahead of tomorrow’s clash. “They are always emotional matches, always at the limit. Both sides will do everything to win, there won’t be any gifts.”

Hamburg’s threat up front will come in the form of Croatian duo, Mladen Petric and Ivica Olic, who scored during the 1-1 draw in the recent derby clash, but then missed his shot during the subsequent penalty shoot-out.

A whole new chapter is about to be written in the long rivalry between the two German clubs – which involves the German Cup, Uefa Cup and Bundesliga. Tomorrow’s derby game is also an unique opportunity to show football fans outside the country how German club football can be just as passionate as the game in England, Spain and Italy.

SV Werder Bremen

v

Hamburger SV

Tomorrow– Weserstadion, Bremen

Kick-off– 8.45pm (local time), 7.45pm (Irish-time)

Liveon Setanta Ireland ITV4