When Werder Bremen welcome Schalke on the final game day of the 2011-12 Bundesliga season on 5 May 2012 at 3:30 p.m., the Green-Whites will be fighting for a spot in the Europa League - against...
When Werder Bremen welcome Schalke on the final game day of the 2011-12 Bundesliga season on 5 May 2012 at 3:30 p.m., the Green-Whites will be fighting for a spot in the Europa League - against...
When Werder Bremen welcome Schalke on the final game day of the 2011-12 Bundesliga season on 5 May 2012 at 3:30 p.m., the Green-Whites will be fighting for a spot in the Europa League - against a team in Schalke which already has secured a spot in next season's Champions League.
"Give your all one more time"
In addition to a home victory in front of 42,100 spectators at sold out Weser Stadium, Werder also need Hannover and Wolfsburg to lose their matches in order to reach the Europa League. But head coach Thomas Schaaf was not interested in points calculations. "It's all about giving your all one more time, playing a successful game in front of a full house and giving a reasonable performance. If all that happens then we can take a look at the table afterwards and see what it brought us," said Schaaf.

Manager Klaus Allofs agreed with Schaaf and expects a conciliatory farewell to the season in front of their own fans. At the same time, he said it's strange that the team still has a chance to qualify for international football despite the course of the second half. "But only if we win. We need to burn up the pitch and we have to see to it that the team wants to make good on something," said Allofs. And then the other teams have to play along as well, on which Allofs does not have high hopes. "But I have high hopes that we play a good match."
Before the game, all Werder players for whom it's clear that they will not be with Bremen next season will be honoured. Included in those players are Tim Wiese (going to Hoffenheim), Marko Marin (Chelsea), Tim Borowski, Mikael Silvestre, Lennart Thy and Markus Rosenberg. Marin will not play in the farewell match against Schalke as he is battling a thigh injury. The other five players have an opportunity until tomorrow's final training to earn a spot in the Bundesliga squad.
