Our Opposistion

Lazy I know as I copy & pasted from Wikipedia so it's accyracy is not infallible. But they do say know your opponent . . . ..


FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys. They are the current holders of Eredivisie and Johan Cruijff Schaal trophies, the first time the new club has won both titles; the team have also finished as Eredivisie runners-up twice, were runners-up in the UEFA Cup 1974–75, and have won the KNVB Cup twice. Twente's home ground since 1998 is De Grolsch Veste.
The club's mother corporation (FC Twente '65) was declared bankrupt in the 2002–03 season, almost leading to the end of the club's existence. The club, now chaired by ambitious businessman Joop Munsterman, survived such problems and made it to another KNVB Cup final in 2004, and then finishing in fourth place in 2006–07. In the season 2007–08, FC Twente placed fourth and won the play-offs for a ticket to the Champions League Qualifiers by defeating Ajax in the play-off finals.

In the season 2008–09, FC Twente hired former England manager Steve McClaren as new boss: under his tenure, unseeded Twente entered the draw for the third qualifying round of the Champions League, being drawn against seeded Arsenal. The two legs were played at home on 13 August and away on 27 August 2008. Twente lost 6–0 on aggregate, resulting in their elimination from the Champions League and subsequent entry of the UEFA Cup first round. At domestic level, FC Twente placed second in the Eredivisie (11 points below the league's champion AZ Alkmaar) and got again a ticket to the Champions League qualifying rounds as Dutch runners-up, as well as KNVB Cup finalists (then defeated by SC Heerenveen).

The 2009–10 started with Twente being knocked out of the Champions League third qualifying round after a 1–1 aggregate draw against Sporting CP, which sent the Portuguese side through on away goals.[1] The club was then admitted to the Europa League, where it enjoyed a relatively successful path which ended in a 4–2 aggregate defeat at the hands of Werder Bremen in the round of 32. At domestic level, Twente won its first Eredivisie title at the end of a campaign in which they lost just twice, winning 16 of 17 at home. The championship was confirmed on the final day of the season when they beat NAC 2–0 away,[2] making Steve McClaren the first Englishman to guide a Dutch team to a national title since Bobby Robson in 1992.[3] The victory qualified Twente for the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League Group Stage onwards, the club's first appearance in the competition. At the end of the season Steve McClaren resigned as the manager, moving to German side VfL Wolfsburg, and was replaced by Belgian Michel Preud'homme.



SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize of sports equipment to set them on their way. They took their name from the seldom used regional German word for “river peninsula”, describing the riverside field they first played football on.

Bremen have been a mainstay in the Bundesliga, top flight of German football. Bremen have been crowned champions on four occasions and have won the DFB-Pokal on six occasions. Their most recent achievements in these competitions came in 2004, when they won an historic double.[1] Bremen have also tasted European success, beating AS Monaco[2] in the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, 2–0.[3][4] Bremen also reached the final edition of the UEFA Cup in 2009,[5] before it was rebranded as the UEFA Europa League,[6] where they met Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk. Unfortunately for Bremen, Shakhtar proved too strong, losing the final 2–1 in A.E.T.[7]
In 2008–09 UEFA-Cup, Bremen were dubbed as "Italian Killer" as they managed to send 2 of 3 top Italian Club, Internazionale Milano and AC Milan to elimination from European Competition.
Werder Bremen supporters have a long-running friendship with Rot-Weiss Essen, who currently play in the Regionalliga West (4th tier). They have a long-standing rivalry with "North derby"[9] rivals Hamburger SV,[10] another major club in northern Germany,[11] and other big clubs like Bayern Munich in particular. They have developed a recent, but intense dislike of Schalke 04 after the Gelsenkirchen side lured top players (including Ailton, Mladen Krstajić, Frank Rost, Oliver Reck (goalkeeping coach), and Fabian Ernst) with lucrative contracts to join them.

There are a few Ultra-Groups in Bremen: "Racaille Verte",[12] "Wanderers-Bremen", "The Infamous Youth" and "Ultra-Team Bremen", they support the team in each match. The Ultras of Werder Bremen have a friendship with the Ultras of Udinese Calcio[13][14], Shamrock Rovers Ultras and the Ultras from Sturm Graz.

The side prides itself on being one of the few port cities in the Bundesliga – currently the only others are FC St. Pauli and Hamburger SV: the toot of a ship's whistle celebrates every Werder Bremen goal. This regional pride has its drawbacks, though, as opposing fans regularly taunt Werder Bremen fans as Fischköppe (fishheads), alluding to offensive smell and limited intelligence.

Finally, Werder Bremen is also known[by whom?] for its level-headed environment. In contrast to many other cities, where the local sides are often subject to intense media attention, players and trainers here are usually left in relative peace. Bremen's reputation is that of a sensible, respected and financially healthy club.



Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly known as Internazionale or Inter, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan.[2][3] Inter are the champions of Italy, their win in 2009–10 being a fifth successive title, equalling the all-time record.[4] Inter are also the reigning European champions.

Wearing black and blue stripes, they have played in the Italian first division since 1908. The club have won 29 national trophies including eighteen Italian league titles, six Italian Cups and five Italian Super Cups. At the international level, they have won three European Cup/Champions League; first of all two back-to-back European Cups in 1964 and 1965 and then, after 45 years, in 2010, completing an unprecedented (for an Italian team) treble after winning in the same season the Coppa Italia and the Scudetto. The club won also three UEFA Cups in 1991, 1994 and 1998, and two Intercontinental Cups in 1964 and 1965.

Inter play in the largest stadium in Italy, the Giuseppe Meazza stadium (also known as San Siro) and train at the Angelo Moratti Sports Center (also known as La Pinetina), a training facility 30 kilometers away in Appiano Gentile, near Como.

Inter enjoyed more luck in the 2009–10 Champions League, managing to progress to the quarter-finals by eliminating Mourinho's former team Chelsea in a 3–1 aggregate win; this was the first time in three years that the Nerazzurri had passed the first knockout round. Inter then progressed to the semi-finals of the tournament by beating CSKA Moscow 2–0 on aggregate, winning both legs.[11] Inter managed to achieve a 3–1 win over incumbent champions Barcelona in the first leg of the semi-final. In the second leg, a resolute Inter lost 1–0 but progressed 3–2 on aggregate to their fifth European Cup/Champions League Final, with Bayern Munich as opponents. They won the match 2–0 thanks to two goals from Diego Milito, and were crowned champions of Europe.[12] Inter also won the 2009–2010 Serie A title by two points over Roma, and the 2010 Coppa Italia by defeating the same side 1–0 in the final.[13]

By winning the Scudetto, the Coppa Italia and the prestigious Champions League in a single season, Internazionale completed The Treble, becoming the first ever Italian team to achieve the feat. However, their attempt to defend these honours will be without José Mourinho, as he agreed a deal to take charge of Spanish club Real Madrid on 28 May 2010.[14]

On 21 August 2010, Inter defeated Roma 3–1 and won the 2010 Supercoppa Italiana, the fourth trophy of the year.