Five players returned to the training grounds on Thursday as Naldo, Aleksandar Ignjovski, Marko Arnautovic, Niclas Füllkrug and Denni Avdic all recovered from their injuries and were available in training for head coach Thomas Schaaf. "At the beginning of the session it felt a little uncomfortable but it got better," said Naldo in his first training session after his back problems.

The Brazilian was preparing for his return to team training the past couple days at Weser Stadium while Arnauntovic and "Iggy" were going through running training and easy ball drills on the grounds surrounding Werder's home pitch. "I rode the bike a lot and received a lot of treatment," said Naldo.

The centre back hopes to make an appearance on Saturday. "I will give 100 percent and I hope that I can be on hand for the final game of the season," said Naldo. Füllkrug and Ignjovski also left the pitch with a good feeling. "Everything was okay," was the comment from both players.

Claudio Pizarro meanwhile could not return in full. "He will complete an individual running session today," said Schaaf at the press conference Thursday. "We will have to see if it's enough for the final training." It remains hopeful that another player can return to the pitch tomorrow.