Kohfeldt on the match: “They’ll be really up for the game,” predicted Florian Kohfeldt of the Schalke players. The Royal Blues got the new season off to a less than ideal start last Friday away in Munich. “They had the worst possible start to their season,” said Kohfeldt as he discussed the 8-0 defeat that Schalke were subjected to in Bavaria. But the 37-year-old is not expecting to encounter a team lacking confidence at the weekend. “I’m not expecting them to be rattled after the defeat; they’re a team of experienced professionals after all. The quality that they have on the pitch is impressive. It’s a very difficult task that awaits us.” However, Werder’s coach didn’t want to dwell on the opposition, saying “we have to play our own football!” Alongside wanting Werder to “take control and play nasty”, Kohfeldt also want to see more “courage and aggression”: “This all-or-nothing attitude needs to be behind every challenge in every game - it’s vital for us.”
The previous encounter: The last match between SVW and S04 was just after the restart following the coronavirus break. when Werder came away winners on the 30th May. Leonardo Bittencourt curled in the only goal of the game from outside the box, earning the Green-Whites three vital points in the battle for Bundesliga survival. A strong defensive performance ensured Werder came away with the victory in Gelsenkirchen. The match four months ago was played without fans and this could also be the case on Saturday, with the authorities set to decide whether spectators will be permitted on Friday.