Despite the current focus in Bremen being on the upcoming Bundesliga fixture away to Borussia Dortmund, a number of the Green-Whites are still involved in international action. Jiri Pavlenka, who didn’t end up making an appearance in the Czech Republic's 1-0 win over the Faroe Islands, is the second international to return to Bremen on Monday after Nick Woltemade.
After Austria’s defeat to Belgium on Friday, they will be crossing their fingers for some much-needed help from the Red Devils on Monday evening. If Romano Schmid and his team are able to beat Azerbaijan away in Baku at 18:00 CEST and Olivier Deman's Belgium side win against Sweden at 20:45 CEST, Austria could secure an early ticket to the 2024 European Championships in Germany. Schmid and Deman are expected to return to the Weser on Tuesday, where they will join back up with the team and turn their focus to the upcoming Bundesliga clash.
Leon Opitz’s Germany U19 side meet hosts Poland on Tuesday (17th October, 15:30 CEST), finishing off the first round of qualification for the U19 EUROs. Head coach Christian Wörns had put his team in a good position after the wins over Kazakhstan (6-0) and North Macedonia (3-1), with Opitz making a short cameo. Milos Veljkovic’s Serbia are also set to face Montenegro in a vital game on the same evening (20:45 CEST). The centre-back was rested for the 2-1 defeat to Hungary, but should be available again for the upcoming encounter and, like Opitz, be back in Bremen on Wednesday.
Rafael Borré is the final Werder player involved in this international break, with his Colombia team visiting Ecuador on Wednesday morning (18th October, 1:30 CEST). Borré’s side are coming off the back of a win and two draws and remain unbeaten in qualifying, though they have a challenging task ahead of them at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado. The ground in the capital Quito sits 2,734 metres above sea level, and dealing with the altitude is likely to prove demanding for the players. Werder’s number 19 will join the team in Dortmund on Thursday, 19th October.
????????????????????????.
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) October 13, 2023
Here's a throwback to last season's historic comeback against Borussia Dortmund ????
⌛️ One week until matchday 8...#werder#bvbsvwpic.twitter.com/tQfP4FnJM0
