Playing a physical game

Frankfurt match preview
Milot Rashica is available to feature against Eintracht Frankfurt (Photo: nordphoto).
preliminary report
Tuesday, 02.06.2020 / 17:52

With matchday 29 behind them, SV Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt will play their rescheduled match from earlier this season at the wohninvest WESERSTADION on Wednesday (03.06.20, 20:30 CEST). The match had originally been scheduled for 1st March, 2020, but was postponed by the DFL in order to accommodate Frankfurt after their Europa League second-leg match against RB Salzburg was pushed back at the last minute due to a severe storm. Now, both teams have had adequate time to prepare for the match at hand, as Werder are looking to build on strong performances in recent weeks.

The squad: Werder head coach Florian Kohfeldt will be able to call upon several players who featured in the 1-0 away win against Schalke on Saturday. That includes Leonardo Bittencourt and Milot Rashica, who were taken off as a precaution after receiving knocks in Gelsenkirchen on the weekend. Milos Veljkovic is also back in the squad after serving his yellow-card suspension. Several other players who weren’t in the squad recently are also available to feature. With the exception of Füllkrug, Toprak, Möhwald and Pizarro (all long-term injuries), as well as Nuri Sahin (hip injury), Kohfeldt will have a full squad to choose from. Regardless of which players the coach decides to call upon, his expectations for the squad are the same: “Putting aside your personal interests and being 100 per cent committed,” along with “giving your all for the success of the team,” as has been the case in recent weeks.

 

Without a safety net

Florian Kohfeldt is looking to take points from the make-up game (Photo: nordphoto).

The head coach on the game: "We’ve finally managed to have a complete and healthy squad,” Florian Kohfeldt said in reference to the injury woes that have plagued Werder this season. It will be of benefit ahead of the game, as Kohfeldt is expecting a very physical encounter. “Eintracht are a very physical team and try to throw their weight around. However, we cannot underestimate them, as they have several very talented players.” The 37-year-old listed players such as Silva, Kamada, Rode, Hasebe, Kostic and Dost as examples. “They combine physicality with their coach’s philosophy of forcing high stress situations and always pressuring the ball, together with high-quality football.” The match will not be an easy one for the Green-Whites. However, Kohfeldt is focused on his team, saying “We only have so many chances left. There is no safety net and no false bottom - we have to [win]!” The team will be looking to use the lingering feeling of dissatisfaction, despite the recent string of good results, to help them remain focused. 

The most recent duel: The last meeting between the two sides took place just before the coronavirus forced football to a halt; Werder went to Frankfurt for the quarterfinal of the DFB-Pokal (04/03/2020). Eintracht ran out 2-0 winners in the Commerzbank-Arena that day. The most recent meeting in the Bundesliga, however, produced no winner; on matchday 7, a turbulent game produced a thrilling 2-2 draw. Davy Klaassen opened the scoring in the first half, but a Sebastian Rode goal pulled the Eagles level. The match looked lost when André Silva put Frankfurt 2-1 up in the 88th minute. But Werder were not done. Hasebe brought Klaassen down in the penalty area, and Milot Rashica converted the resulting penalty to rescue a point for Bremen.

 

Facts and figures

Davy Klaassen wants to play an important role (Photo: nordphoto).

Statistics: Since Florian Kohfeldt isn’t a superstitious man, he won’t be particularly interested in the fact that SVW have only beaten FC Schalke 04 more times in the Bundesliga than they have Eintracht Frankfurt (42). In addition, the Eagles are without a win against Werder in four Bundesliga games.

Returnees and suspensions: It’s not just Werder who will be bolstered by a player returning from suspension. Adi Hütter will be able to call upon midfield stalwart Stefan Ilsanker, who returns from a ban. Meanwhile, Lucas Torró is unavailable after being sent off last Saturday, and Daichi Kamada, Sebastian Rode and Gonçalo Paciência are all at risk of a suspension, should they pick up a booking this evening. Kevin Vogt would be suspended if he picks up a yellow card, but no other Werder player is threatened with suspension.

 

The officials: Due to the corona pandemic, the DFL are only allocating the referees on matchday, providing the officials test negative for the virus.

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