“That doesn’t play any role”

After all, a win at Hoffenheim would mark Werder’s fourth consecutive away victory, a first for the club. According to Ole Werner, it’s no accident that the Green-Whites have performed so well on the road since the turn of the year. “That’s the result of how well the team have worked in the past few weeks,” said the 35-year-old, who also makes sure to include the home games in this. “The way we defend strongly as a team is paying dividends. Our good defensive foundations mean that we only need to score one or two goals to win.”

Werner’s team could face a possible stumbling block in the coming weeks, with a number of players dangerously close to suspension for accumulating too many yellow cards. Eight members of the squad currently sit on four yellow cards for the season, and six of them – Olivier Deman, Mitchell Weiser, Romano Schmid, Jens Stage, Senne Lynen and Anthony Jung – could feature in Sunday’s game. “That doesn’t play any role for us – we’re always prepared to approach the next game with the personnel we have available,” says Werner. “The chances of all six getting suspended at once are extremely slim. And even if that did come to pass, we have enough players ready to come into the team and seize upon their opportunity.”

Ultimately, Hoffenheim will represent a considerable challenge for the Green-Whites, having impressed in ending an eight-game winless run at Borussia Dortmund last time out. “Hoffenheim are a team with a lot of quality, and if they can show that quality out on the pitch then they belong at the very top of the Bundesliga,” explains Werner.

????️ Ole Werner on the squad:
“Friedl, Veljkovic, Pieper, Stark and Hansen-Aarøen will all miss Sunday’s game. Opitz is back in team training, but will get minutes with the academy this weekend. We’re not 100 percent sure whether Njinmah will make an appearance.”#werder#tsgsvwpic.twitter.com/jn5JbfqYyA
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) March 1, 2024

“They have players with international experience in almost every position. They have a good blend of technical ability, power and pace and have a very clear game plan. But we’re getting ourselves ready to impose ourselves on them with our own strengths – that’s a challenge we’re very much looking forward to.”

????️ Ole Werner on the squad:
“Friedl, Veljkovic, Pieper, Stark and Hansen-Aarøen will all miss Sunday’s game. Opitz is back in team training, but will get minutes with the academy this weekend. We’re not 100 percent sure whether Njinmah will make an appearance.”#werder#tsgsvwpic.twitter.com/jn5JbfqYyA
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) March 1, 2024

“They have players with international experience in almost every position. They have a good blend of technical ability, power and pace and have a very clear game plan. But we’re getting ourselves ready to impose ourselves on them with our own strengths – that’s a challenge we’re very much looking forward to.”