Karl Hein will start in goal for Werder Bremen in their Bundesliga showdown away to Borussia Dortmund. The Estonian goalkeeper has recovered from a thigh bruise and is fit for Friday night's fixture. Head coach Daniel Thioune delivered the positive update. "I assume Karl will play," said the 52-year-old. "He trained individually on Wednesday with Kiki Vander. It was a good training session. There was nothing Karl couldn't do." Alexander Schlager is on standby should Hein suffer a late setback.
The defensive line remains weakened, however. Key player Mitchell Weiser is not yet match-ready following his 60-minute run-out in the humbling 7-0 friendly defeat to Twente. "One could see he lacks match fitness," Thioune explained. "After the games in Cologne and Augsburg, a lot has been placed on him. Some fatigue was also noticeable." Felix Agu is also out for weeks with the calf problems that forced him off early in that match. Thioune called it a "heavy setback" for the 27-year-old and could not give a return date.
The absentee list is extensive. Alongside Weiser and Agu, Jens Stage, Justin Njinmah, Keke Topp, Senne Lynen, Salim Musah and Skelly Alvero are also ruled out. Loanee Moussa Ndiaye continues to wait for his debut due to ongoing groin issues. The team travels to the league leaders sitting eighth in the table with seven points from four games. Their recent form shows two wins, a draw and two defeats from the last five competitive outings.
The 7-0 loss to Twente was a stark warning ahead of the clash with the title contenders. The task now is to show a response at Signal Iduna Park. The upcoming fixtures in a busy Bundesliga schedule, including the home game against Paderborn, are listed on our fixtures page. Niclas Füllkrug, Werder's top scorer this season with three goals, will need to lead the line. The team has scored seven goals in the four league matches so far, but also conceded seven. The season's objective remains clear: to reach the 40-point mark, which has been sufficient for survival in recent years.
This story first appeared at Bild Sport
