Following the final training session on Friday afternoon, the Werder players headed off towards East Westphalia where they will begin their 2008/2009 Bundesliga campaign on Saturday, 16.06.2008 (kick-off 3:30pm) against Arminia Bielefeld - a side who have always proven a tough nut to crack at home in the SchücoArena for the Green-Whites. With that in mind, trainer Thomas Schaaf sent out a warning to his men: “We know that it won’t be an easy game against Bielefeld and that we have had our work cut out for us there year in, year out.”
But instead of mourning the lost points in years gone by, Thomas Schaaf is looking to the future full of anticipation: “You just can’t wait for things to get going. We are delighted now and know that we must prove ourselves when points are at stake.” The coach has a 19 man squad to choose from for the match in Bielefeld. One of that group will be making the trip with some added motivation. On Thursday, goalkeeper Tim Wiese received his first call-up to the German national side, which will surely have him very eager to impress.
“Thomas Schaaf told me before training yesterday. That was quite a surprise and something I really hadn’t reckoned with,” admitted Wiese in an interview with WERDER.TV. “I last spoke to Andreas Köpke on the phone about a year ago and back then he gave me reason to believe I’d get my chance. I don’t quite know what to expect but the important thing is to perform well both during the game on Saturday and in training with the national team.”
The 19 man squad for the clash with Arminia Bielefeld is:
Tim Wiese, Christian Vander – Sebastian Boenisch, Petri Pasanen, Naldo, Frank Baumann, Jurica Vranjes, Clemens Fritz, Markus Rosenberg, Mesut Özil, Aaron Hunt, Sebastian Prödl, Said Husejinovic, Boubacar Sanogo, Daniel Jensen, Torsten Frings, Hugo Almeida, Peter Niemeyer, Martin Harnik