Head coach Thomas Schaaf made sure once again to his team at the final press conference before the Europa League game against CD Nacional Funchal that the Green-Whites cannot...
Head coach Thomas Schaaf made sure once again to his team at the final press conference before the Europa League game against CD Nacional Funchal that the Green-Whites cannot...
Head coach Thomas Schaaf made sure once again to his team at the final press conference before the Europa League game against CD Nacional Funchal that the Green-Whites cannot underestimate their Portuguese guests. "In our preparations for this game we worked just as intensively as for any other game. For us it’s important to approach this game with concentration and discipline to have success," said Schaaf, who added: "Nacional will give everything they have to use their final chance." The Bremen coach was absolutely clear about what he expects from his team on Thursday. "It is important that we concentrate on our thing and clearly control the game and give our opponents as little as possible," said Schaaf.
Striker Hugo Almeida was of a similar opinion. "It is always nice to be in first place, so we absolutely want to win this game on Thursday," said the 25-year-old. And the Portuguese attacker said the Green-Whites are not taking lightly the struggling opponents from Madeira, who have just two points. "We know the high quality that Funchal have and we will definitely not underestimate them," said Almeida. There is a big question mark regarding an appearance by Werder keeper Tim Wiese. The 27-year-old did not take part in the final training session. "We sent Tim home this afternoon because he was not feeling well. He had a grippe infection," said the coach, who would not offer a prognosis if Wiese can play on Thursday. Philipp Bargfrede will definitely not be available on Thursday. Schaaf did not nominate the 20-year-old, who is dealing with slight knee problems.
After the final training session, Thomas Schaaf nominated the following 19 players for the game on Thursday: Wiese, Mielitz, Wiedwald, Pasanen, Boenisch, Naldo, Borowski, Fritz, Rosenberg, Marin, Özil, Hunt, Prödl, Jensen, Frings, Almeida, Niemeyer, Mertesacker, Moreno Martins
