Press conference prior to the away clash against Darmstadt

As Niklas Stark is definitely unavailable for Sunday’s game and there’s a question mark over Marco Friedl, it’s currently uncertain as to who will man the Green-Whites’ backline. “There are others within the squad who are capable of playing centre-back, such as Christian Groß, Anthony Jung, and Nicolai Rapp,” shared Ole Werner. “We’ll make our final decisions tomorrow when we know who’s fit to be in the squad.”

The 35-year-old head coach is feeling hopeful that his players will be able to rise to the occasion against the promoted team at the weekend. “It’s important that we prepare well during the week for each individual game and then put everything we worked on into practice out on the pitch,” Werner urged. “There’s enough evidence from the week of training and our performance last weekend for us to go into the game feeling optimistic, as well as the belief we have in our players and their abilities. When we work together as a team, we’re able to produce real quality.”

SVW will also have to take into consideration that the crowd will, for the most part, be rooting for the opposition, but the Green-Whites are nevertheless determined to power through and stop the home supporters from singing. “Their fans are incredibly loyal to the team and can often be their main form of motivation when things aren’t going their way, which has been particularly apparent this season,” explained Werner. “We are prepared for a crazy atmosphere which we’ll face head on as team and compete against both the opposition and their fans.”

????️ Ole Werner on the squad:

"Niklas Stark won't be involved. He trained individually today, but it makes no sense to risk playing him. We will have to assess Marco Friedl tomorrow, as well as Naby Keïta, who sat out of training today due to illness."#werder#svdsvwpic.twitter.com/8JDKzFYaqZ

— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) September 29, 2023