Werder Bremen’s injury woes will not go away. Just as centre back Per Mertesacker returned, Bremen head coach Thomas Schaaf must do without another defender as Petri Pasanen missed Werder training Thursday afternoon with an injury.

"He has a pulled ligament and is out for Saturday. Everything else will have to wait and see," said Thomas Schaaf after the training session. While the Finnish international will not be in the roster for the North Derby against Hamburg, there is nothing in the way of the comebacks of Per Mertesacker and Claudio Pizarro. The German international Mertesacker took his usual spot in the interior of the defence in the closing game of the Thursday session and his Peruvian teammate Pizarro was busy again in the attack. "Claudio has immense experience from which we can profit. He can change things on the pitch and affect his teammates," said Schaaf about the return of the South American.

The coach however warned against the Green-Whites putting too much hope in the two returnees and seeing Mertesacker and Pizarro as saviours in the light of two defeats. "Of course we are very happy that they are both back. But we have to be cautious with these kinds of expectations. Their presence alone will not get everything done. It will depend on moving something together," said Schaaf, hoping the team performs as a sworn unit on Saturday.