Women in final Hinrunde game at Werder Bremen

"Before the season, we said we saw ourselves in the chasing pack behind the top two teams, Bayern and Wolfsburg. Now we've overcome our short period of weakness with the win against RB Leipzig and can now go above Bremen," said Pätzold with regard to the current position: "That gives us energy and motivation for the final run-in with hopefully two successful games before the winter break. The return of Friederike Repohl and Cornelia Kramer gives us an extra boost."

Ten days after the end of the Hinrunde, the Werkself will welcome Bayern Munich to the Ulrich Haberland Stadion on Monday, 22 December (kick-off: 18:00) in the final Bundesliga match of the calendar year. The two key players Repohl and Kramer are also likely to play an important role in Pätzold's personnel quandry. Goalkeeper Repohl returned to the starting eleven in the 3-2 home win against RB Leipzig after several weeks out injured, while Kramer was back on the pitch for the first time in the last ten minutes after her even longer absence. The Denmark international could get more game time in Bremen.

The coach's preliminary assessment of the first half of the season is mixed. "It was a Hinrunde with highs and lows, but overall we are still in a good position going into the Rückrunde," said Pätzold: "You can’t draw conclusions in isolation from our personnel situation. We coped very well with our difficult opening fixtures - starting with the game in Munich - and consistently picked up pints. The home game against Wolfsburg caused a slight hiatus, partly because we had to compensate for a number of suspensions and injury-related absences afterwards." The Werkself suffered three consecutive defeats. "Overall, we didn't have a really bad game, but we lacked some of the effectiveness we had in the first few weeks and dropped points as a result. The Pokal exit in Hamburg, despite our many chances, is particularly painful," said the 46-year-old.

Pätzold on Werder: "EffeCtive and very versatile“

On the way to a possible positive end to the Hinrunde, his team must defeat one of the surprise teams of the season so far. With 23 points, Werder Bremen are currently one point ahead of Leverkusen in third place. "They play effectively, have an attacking approach with a few exceptions and are very versatile. They pose great challenges to their opponents, not least because of their threat from set-pieces," said Pätzold: "They can also score late goals and have built up their confidence thanks to their victories. That results in a mix that was very successful in the first half of the season," said the head coach. Accordingly, he expects his team to produce a "high work rate" and predicts: "I expect a close game in which efficiency and work against the ball will be the most important factors."

No major changes are expected in terms of personnel. Claudia Wenger, who has been struggling recently, could return to the squad. Still missing, however, will be Carlotta Wamser (rehab training), Ida Daedelow (knock), Charlotte Voll (shoulder injury) and Shen Menglu (rehab training). Anyone who would like to support the Werkself in Bremen can get tickets HERE at the Werder Bremen online shop or from the matchday ticket office. The away end is in Block F under cover, and there is also a separate standing area.