The plan was entirely different. However, in terms of personnel, there are hardly any reliable players at SV Werder Bremen in these weeks. Like Karl Hein. The goalkeeper would have played half the game against Auxerre (0:1) in the general practice match, but then everything went differently: The Estonian slipped during the final training on Friday during a shooting exercise and injured himself with a few muscular problems. So Hein watched on Saturday while his competitor Alexander Schlager played 90 minutes – and possibly also on the upcoming weekend in the DFB-Pokal against the Oberligist Lüneburger SK? "It also depends a bit on how stable Karl will be", says coach Daniel Thioune, who assumes that the actual number one will have completely cured his complaints and will be 100% fit again before returning to the pitch. "That's why we have to wait for the development of the next few days." ## Will Schlager become the Cup goalkeeper? It is also possible that Schlager will be used in general – namely when Thioune decides on a model practiced by many coaches: The main force plays in the league, the backup in the other competition. The 52-year-old has not yet made a final decision on this. "We will then reassess whether there will be a Cup goalkeeper or not", emphasizes Thioune. "It would be nonsense now if I already made a decision. We have seen: Alex Schlager is stable, Karl is too." Schlager himself is completely relaxed about the situation. "That Karl would have played if he had been fit is no secret. For me, it's just a possibility – not more and not less", says the Austrian national goalkeeper, who assumes that the current hierarchy will remain in place for the time being. "At the end of the day, it's more a topic for you than for us. It's about us as a club being successful together. And yes, I want to contribute my part to that", says Schlager. "That's why I will not change my work and morality. I go to training every day, will try every day to give my best, to recommend myself and to give my best. In football, one must always be ready." At Werder Bremen's absence problem, Werder Bremen currently occupies the 15th place in the Bundesliga, has collected 32 points and has been losing for weeks. In the DFB-Pokal match against Lüneburger SK, Werder Bremen will face Borussia Dortmund on October 10, 2026.