“Do better than we did earlier this season”

Werner will have to make a decision on which players to start on Saturday afternoon. Mitchell Weiser is an option again after recovering from an ankle injury, while Niklas Stark is a doubt. The coach made clear that his side are travelling to Augsburg looking to bring back all three points, and isn’t worried about the fact that FCA have proven a tough opponent for SVW in recent years. “I don’t think that past games have any impact,” Werner said. “I’m not heading there with a bad or good gut feeling.”

Instead, the coach is focusing on which challenges FCA will pose his side on the pitch. He’s expecting an intense game, like against Bochum. “They are a tough opponent, win a lot of second balls and press hard,” he said. “They tend to play man-marking across more or less the majority of the pitch. We will need to run hard and make sure to win our tackles.”

The key to success could also lie in how Augsburg tend to play. “For us, it will come down to creating space, making sure our timing is good and have periods where we are able to control the game by having possession,” said Werner. “It won’t be easy, but we’re up for it. We want to do better than we did earlier this season.”

????️ Ole Werner on the squad: “Mitchell Weiser is back fit. Niklas Stark is ill, so we’ll have to see if he recovers. Dikeni Salifou, Felix Agu and Manuel Mbom are still unavailable.”#werder#FCASVWpic.twitter.com/uGmXdTvrcu
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) March 2, 2023