Three points against Leipzig are a must if Werder want to get into Europe for next season. With a win against Leipzig, Werder would have 53 points on the board, and that’s usually enough to get seventh place. Only three times in the past 20 seasons has that number not been enough. But disregarding the statistics, a lot has to happen for Werder to get Europe this weekend.
“We need three points again at the weekend,” said Florian Kohfeldt on the seriousness of the situation. However, getting Europe isn’t out of Werder’s reach. The Green-Whites will want to end the season giving everything in front of 42,100 fans in the Weserstadion. At the same time, they’ll be crossing their fingers for Mainz and Augsburg. Florian Kohfeldt “has the feeling that we’ve earned it now and it can still come to a version of events that makes it possible for us.”
First of all, Werder have to do their homework, and that might not be the easiest of tasks. RB Leipzig have the best defence in the Bundesliga this season, having conceded just 27 goals. Kohfeldt called Leipzig “the most consistent team of the Rückrunde,” and that it won’t be a game in which “you’ll take control of the match.” However, the Werder head coach believes that there are “still other ways to win the game.”
No-one will be completely away from the scores in the other games, as the scores will be displayed on screens inside the stadium. However, this won’t have any direct impact on the game according to Niklas Moisander, who will captain the side in the event that Max Kruse is out: “We’ll only be interested in the other results after the game. Winning the game will be difficult enough. That has to be our game, nothing else plays a role.”
Whatever happens, there will be a fantastic atmosphere in the Weserstadion. “It will be an emotional, perhaps celebration-filled day in the stadium, of that I’m sure,” said Kohfeldt. But he also knows that his players need to deliver as well as the fans. “The biggest job lies with us as the team. We’ll bring our emotion onto the pitch, and then the fans will be there,” he added. The game kicks off at 15:30 CEST in the Weserstadion.
