Petersen back on board

Head coach Thomas Schaaf had to open the final training week before the start of the competitive season on Sunday in Münster with just 15 players. At least there was one good news item as Nils Petersen was back at full team training after recovering from his thigh problems. "After I couldn't go for a week, today was not so easy for me. But everything is okay. I didn't have any reaction to the musculature," said the Werder striker after the end of the Monday afternoon session.

Less positive was the fact that captain Clemens Fritz was out in addition to the numerous internationals. "He suffered a bruise in the game against Aston Villa. It doesn't look like he can play against Odense," said Schaaf about the possibility of his leader playing in Horne against the Danish team. "We now have some players in the team who have not played that much thus far. So it's very good that we can use the game for that. But it's also important to value this game correctly," said Schaaf, referring to the number of missing players.

Petersen meanwhile might be able to play. "We will be playing against a good team. You can't just beat them that easily. We are aware of that. For me, this test is important looking forward to the Münster match. I hope that I can play 90 minutes," said the 23-year-old Petersen ahead of the match at the Egsfield Ground stadium.