SV Werder Bremen will end their training camp in Zillertal with a friendly against Austrian second-division side, SC Austria Lustenau. The match will kick-off at 13:00 CEST in the Parkstadion in Zell am Ziller on Monday, 24th August. Both the choice of opponents and the timing of the match were specifically chosen by the Green-Whites, as Florian Kohfeldt stated ahead of the game. The 90-minute friendly will be live-streamed for free on both WERDER.TV and YouTube.
The squad: While a few players will make their return to the squad, there are others who will have to sit this one out. Niklas Moisander and Milos Veljkovic will return to the pitch for the first time following injury. According to head coach Florian Kohfeldt, the pair will “play together as centre-backs for the closing phases of the match.” Milot Rashica is also fit and will definitely feature on Monday. After recent tooth problems, Davie Selke is also available to play. However, Davy Klaassen and Josh Sargent will both miss the match due to injury. As was the case in the other recent friendlies against Eintracht Braunschweig and Linzer ASK, Kohfeldt will be looking to give playing time to as many of his men as possible. The head coach confirmed that he would be swapping out his entire attack during half time. In defence, it’s a different story, with several players being given more playing time in order to get back into the rhythm of things. However, Kohfeldt added that Werder’s formation during Lustenau will not reflect how the team will line-up during their opening competitive matches of the new season.
The opponents: “We made a conscious decision when we chose them,” Kohfeldt said about SC Austria Lustenau. Selecting opponents is part of preseason planning and as such, it’s fitting that the Green-Whites will be confronted with a team that “allows you to have the bulk of possession and that looks to counter-attack often.” Kohfeldt is looking for his players to have the bulk of possession against Lustenau, and to dictate the match. His counterpart on the sidelines for Lustenau is no stranger to Bremen, as Alexander Kiene spent time working under Florian Kohfeldt while completing his coaching license. “I’m looking forward to seeing him again,” said Kohfeldt. Lustenau have a shortened summer break behind them, as the Austrian 2. Liga only ended in late July. Lustenau finished the season in 11th place. They returned for preseason training on 12th August and most recently lost 5-0 in a friendly against Swiss league runner-ups, FC St. Gallen.
The head coach on the match: Florian Kohfeldt is well informed about the condition his players are in, saying “The boys are very tired. That’s exactly how we planned it, after all, this was our most intense week of preseason. They will need to concentrate and be extremely focused.” As such, Kohfeldt describes the upcoming friendly against Lustenau as a “mental challenge.” Possession will play a huge role in the match for Werder, in addition to cutting off Lustenau’s counter-attacks and finishing in the final third, said Kohfeldt.
