SV Werder Bremen travel to take on record champions FC Bayern München on Friday evening (7th February, 20:30 CET). The Green-Whites will be without head coach Ole Werner, as he serves a red-card suspension. Assistant coach Patrick Kohlmann will be in the dugout instead. During the pre-match press conference ahead of the match, Werner spoke about…
…his suspension: “I’ve got to wait it out. I’m not sure yet where exactly I’ll be sitting in the stands. The decisions I make as a head coach are all done with teamwork. Patrick Kohlmann will be the one making these decisions during the game. He’s been at my side for more than 200 games, so he knows exactly how we make decisions and he knows how we react to certain situations during a game. We’re well prepared and our aim is to serve for a surprise.”
…assistant coach Patrick Kohlmann: “We’ve got similar personalities and are very conscientious. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and everything we do is to help benefit the team – that also applies to the rest of our coaching staff. This is the foundation that you need in order to work well together. Over the years, we’ve grown to know each other extremely well, which makes working together a breeze. Coaching is all about teamwork, just like what the players need out on the pitch.”
…the enforced changes in defence: “There are other alternatives. We have full confidence in all our players, which also applies to the three players that will start in defence. They have all delivered strong performances for us before. Obviously communication and playing the way we want to play won’t be easy in Munich. We will need every player we have, which is something we’ve stated often enough this season. It’s an opportunity for every player. We’re definitely prepared but I also don’t want to reveal our options now.”
ℹ️ Squad update ahead of #fcbsvw: Marco Friedl, Niklas Stark, Keke Topp, Julian Malatini and Leonardo Bittencourt are all unavailable. Ole Werder will not be in the dugout due to suspension ???? #werder
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@en.werder.de) 6 February 2025 at 13:38
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…new signing André Silva: “We know the sort of player he is. He’s settled in well and is a very friendly guy who knows the league well. He’s been playing at the top level for several years. He was dealing with a calf issue in Leipzig recently, which is why he won't start, but he will travel to Munich with us. He's got qualities that can help us out and I'm very pleased that he's here with us. In particular, he's got a great instinct in front of goal, knows when to time his runs and we believe that he will help add to our attacking options."
… Mick Schmetgens: "He's a very young player and is eager to learn, and he'll be part of the matchday squad in Munich. He's not afraid of getting involved during training either and is strong in the tackles. He still needs a bit of time to get used to the speed at which we play and we want to help guide his development further, which is why he's earned this experience."
…the 5-0 defeat earlier this season: "Bayern haven't gotten any weaker (laughs). We were our own worst enemies on that occasions and gave up possession too easily, which allowed Bayern to find space to exploit. That's why we will need to make sure to remain compact and to not give them too many opportunities to get the ball into our final third, while also seeking to make our own moves up the pitch. We have to show that we've progressed as a team and that we're able to demonstrate those qualities on the pitch that have come to define us."
…the 1-0 win in Munich a year ago: "There are many things that have changed, both for us and at Bayern. They have a different coach, different players and a different style of play. But, just like back then, we're heading to Munich with the aim of winning the game. We know it won't be easy. We've worked hard to be able to focus on what we can control and it obviously helps that we were able to win there last year."
…Felix Agu: "He's not fully fit yet. He's only been back in team training for a week or two now. I think he'll be able to do 15 to 20 minutes. We want to cautiously ease him back into it. He's worked very hard during his rehabilitation. I hope that he will be able to return fully ahead of the run of games we have coming up."
