Werder Bremen vs SC Freiburg preview - Dutt wants Bremen up and running

Posted Friday, October 03, 2014 by PA

Robin Dutt cannot afford to show any gratitude to the club which launched his top-level coaching career as he seeks his first win of the season with Werder Bremen against Freiburg on Saturday.

It was in the calm and peaceful surroundings of the Black Forest where Dutt first made a name for himself, leading Freiburg into the top flight before joining Bayer Leverkusen in 2011.

He lasted only a year in charge of the Werkself before taking up a role as director of sport at the German Football Association, but he was tempted back into club management by Bremen last summer.

He therefore has a lot to thank Freiburg for, but speaking ahead of the basement battle he was focused only on his current team's needs.

"All that counts is that we get the three points, no matter how," Dutt said on his club's website.

"We've got to have the aim of beating Freiburg at home. They are not Wolfsburg and they are not Bayern Munich - they are Freiburg."

With three draws and three defeats this season, Dutt knows the heat is on.

"We've got to be able to cope with the pressure," he added. "Last season we always had good answers to situations like these and that is why I expect an answer from my side on Saturday.

"We've got to be courageous and aggressive and believe in ourselves - that's the most important thing.

"All we have in our minds is these three points. I would say the same against many other sides - that we would not be happy with only one point."

After a brief period under Marcus Sorg, Christian Streich was appointed to further the good work Dutt had started in Freiburg.

He succeeded in saving the club from relegation before leading them to the brink of a place in the Champions League, which they only missed out on on the final day of the 2012/13 season.

Last term, with the added strain of Europa League football, they struggled until their elimination from Europe saw them recover during the second half of the season to avoid the drop.

Their season has not started particularly well this time around, according to Streich.

"You could say that it's not that bad for a club like Freiburg to lose only two out of six, but we're not happy with the number of points we've got," said Streich, whose side have drawn their other four games and, like Bremen, are still waiting for their first win this season.

"Of course we would prefer to have a few more points."

Streich is without the suspended Pavel Krmas, but Admir Mehmedi is back in training and could be an option.