Werder Bremen vs Monchengladbach preview - Plenty at stake at Borussia Park

Posted Friday, May 15, 2015 by PA

Borussia Monchengladbach are keen to get the points they need to secure their place in the group stage of the Champions League next season when they head to Werder Bremen this weekend.

A 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen last weekend has given the Foals a five-point advantage over their rivals in the push for direct entry into the Champions League, but two more points are still needed to ensure they keep Leverkusen behind them.

To avoid the pressure of having to win on the final day of the season, Gladbach coach Lucien Favre wants his side to bring their season to a premature conclusion to allow them to relax and enjoy the visit of Augsburg to the Borussia Park Stadion next weekend.

"Of course we didn't expect before the season that we might finish as high as third, but now we are here, we want to wrap it up," Favre said.

Indeed, there will be plenty to celebrate in a week's time if the Foals do cross the finishing line with a game to spare.

"Qualifying for the Champions League for us is comparable with winning the Bundesliga," said the club's director of sport Max Eberl.

"We're close to achieving something outstanding, and we want to take the last step this Saturday."

Hosts Werder Bremen know what it is like to hear that Champions League anthem, although their memory may need a little refreshing.

It has now been four full seasons since they last tasted European football, but they remain in the hunt for a return to the Europa League if they can win at the Weserstadion this Saturday.

A week later, they face Borussia Dortmund in what their coach Viktor Skripnik expects to be "the real final for seventh place", but only if they match the Westphalians' result this weekend.