Minnows dreaming of sinking big ones

On Tuesday the reserve side of Werder Bremen and fellow third- division clubs Wuppertaler SV are hoping they can stun higher division opponents.

 Werder Bremen, who might give Croatian striker Ivan Klasnic a run after he has returned from a life-saving kidney transplant, take on St Pauli.

 The Hamburg-based side, then themselves in the third division, last year knocked out Werder Bremen's first team and are hoping for a repeat performance.

 Wuppertaler SV are at home to Hertha Berlin in a game in which the side from the capital start as overwhelming favourites.

 Also on Tuesday Alemannia Aachen take on VfL Bochum, while struggling Bundesliga side Hansa Rostock entertain Kickers Offenbach.

 Two all-second division clashes take place with former Bundesliga club 1860 Munich at home to Mainz 05 and Hoffenheim taking on Greuther Fuerth.

 The final games on Tuesday see high-flying Karlsruhe face VfL Wolfsburg, while Schalke 04 play against Hanover 96.

 The top clash on Wednesday sees traditional rivals Bayern Munich and Borussia Moenchengladbach. In the seventies the clashes between the two sides were the highlights on the domestic football calendar, but since then they have - so to say - gone separate ways.

 Bayern Munich are sitting comfortably at the top of the Bundesliga standings, while Borussia Moenchengladbach are in the second division.

 Werder Bremen are at home against MSV Duisburg, who will be travelling to northern Germany without former Bremen striker Ailton.

 The Brazilian, who has not played regularly for the struggling Duisburg side, has been told by coach Rudi Bommer that he is free to travel to Mexico to be with his wife who is expecting twins.

 "He has been elsewhere with his thoughts in the last few weeks. That does not make sense and he should therefore fly to his wife," Bommer said in explaining his decision.

 Bremen's international defender Per Mertesacker will be allowed to play in the game even though he was red-carded in the first round as he was deemed to have served his suspension the following day in Werder's reserve side's victory against Cologne.

 Cup holders Nuremberg travel to second division club Carl Zeiss Jena, which marks an emotional return to the club in the former East Germany for Nuremberg coach Hans Meyer.

 Meyer, who earlier this year became the first coach to win both the German and the former East German Cup when Nurember beat Schalke in the final, played for Jena between 1961 and 1969, before becoming the youngest top flight coach two years later.

 He coached there till 1983 and then returned for a short stint in 1993.

 In other matches Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart are at home to Paderborn, while SV Hamburg take on SC Freiburg. Koblenz entertain first division Arminia Bielefeld and Borussia Dortmund face Eintracht Frankfurt.

 The final game sees third division club Rot Weiss Essen at home to Kaiserslautern.

DPA