Sunday morning was not only spent talking about the sports situation at Werder Bremen but also counting the available players as head coach Thomas Schaaf was hit with another piece of bad news...
Sunday morning was not only spent talking about the sports situation at Werder Bremen but also counting the available players as head coach Thomas Schaaf was hit with another piece of bad news...
Sunday morning was not only spent talking about the sports situation at Werder Bremen but also counting the available players as head coach Thomas Schaaf was hit with another piece of bad news.
Sokratis was unable to participate in training due to a laceration on his left knee. "It happened after about 10 minutes yesterday in a challenge with Bastos whose cleats caught me on my knee. It wasn't intentional but it resulted in a small and - as the doctor said - very deep flesh wound. I assume that I will not be able to train in full for the next two or three days. But I don't see any problem with playing in the Düsseldorf match," said Sokratis on Sunday.
It's entirely unclear if Aleksandar Ignjovski will be available against Fortuna Düsseldorf as the defensive all-rounder suffered a hardened thigh muscle and was subbed out against Schalke. Philipp Bargfrede meanwhile is still a question as well with his inflamed capsule. "The knee still hurts, now even just when I walk. I can't do anything but just wait," said Bargfrede. Mehmet Ekici (adductors strain) and Lukas Schmitz (stomach pain) were unable to train as well.
Clemens Fritz meanwhile did show up on the pitch to go through a couple of drills with his teammates despite his broken rib. But it's much too early to talk about a full comeback. "I'm not far enough along yet. I need to remain patient, but it's not easy," said the Werder captain. Another player looking to return sooner rather than later is Zlatko Junuzovic, who rode the stationary bike at Weser Stadium on Sunday. The Austrian will have the stitches pulled from his knee laceration on Monday. "After that I would like to return to the team," said Junuzovic.
Schaaf will call his players to training Monday at 10 a.m. for a non-public session which will not take place on the training grounds.
