“Games under the floodlights were always highlights,” commented Werder coach Alexander Nouri about his time wearing the VfL Osnabrück shirt. Nouri played for the Lily Whites from 2004 to 2008 and now another one of these memorable matches at the osnatel ARENA awaits him and his team, as the Green-Whites travel to Osnabrück to play a friendly tomorrow (Friday, 11th November). However, Nouri won’t be the only member of the SVW coaching staff who may encounter some familiar faces in Osnabrück.
Below, WERDER.DE previews the match, highlighting the current Green-Whites with history in Osnabrück, and looking back on a couple of friendly matches in previous years.
From Lower Rhein to Osnabrück – this is the path both Alexander Nouri and his current assistant Markus Feldhoff took together back in the summer of 2004. Both left KFC Uerdingen to sign with the Lily Whites, who had just been relegated from the 2. Bundesliga. Three years later, Nouri and his teammates won promotion back into the second division. Nouri fondly remembers the special atmosphere and at the Bremer Brücke during floodlit games: “I have an unbelievable amount of positive memories at VfL and made lasting friendships in Osnabrück – it was a great time.”
Claudio Pizarro also has positive memories of the osnatel ARENA. During his Bayern Munich days, the Peruvian scored twice in a 3-2 win at the Bremer Brücke against his current coach’s side in the DFB Cup – his goals saved the Bavarians from an embarrassing cup upset. When he returns to Osnabrück on Friday, it’s likely he’ll only have one thing on his mind – playing football again. Against Schalke 04 he played his first minutes of the season, coming on as a second-half substitute, and this time round against the Lily Whites, he should be able to get a bit more match practice. Another player who’ll really be up for the game is Philipp Bargfrede, who could contest his first match since January. Max Kruse could make the evening of comebacks complete, as the striker picked up an injury in the first DFB Cup game of the season against Lotte. He returned to training a day after Pizarro but didn’t make it in the matchday squad to face S04. According to Nouri, Kruse is one of the players who could make their returns to the pitch in this Friday’s friendly.
“In terms of attitude, Joe was a role model for me. He always led from the front and gave 100 percent. He’s an extremely important figure for VfL Osnabrück,” explained Nouri about Joe Enochs – the Lily Whites’ current head coach. “I’m looking forward to the reunion in our old stomping ground.” The American Enochs was one of Nouri’s teammates during his time in Osnabrück and this season, the Nouri has already got one over on his old friend, as he led the Werder U23s to a 4-2 win against Osnabrück this August. However, the Lily Whites are enjoying a good season so far, with 24 points from 14 games, they currently find themselves in a promotion spot in second place. In their squad, they also have two ex-Werder players in Marc Heider and crowd favourite, Addy-Waku Menga.
The two sides have faced each other in friendlies on a few occasions. The last one was in the summer of 2013, as SVW were beaten 1-0. Half a year earlier, the teams met in wintery conditions as preparation for the second half of the Bundesliga season. This time, SVW came out on top, winning 2-1 with goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Marko Arnautovic. The last competitive encounter between the two teams was a long time ago – 35 years to be exact. On that occasion, Werder won the away tie 4-1 in a 2. Liga Nord match.
