Werder Bremen vs VfB Stuttgart - Werder Bremen and Stuttgart in relegation battle

Posted Sunday, May 01, 2016 by PA

Two giants of the German game face off on Monday night with both clubs fighting desperately to avoid relegation to the 2. Bundesliga.

Werder Bremen slipped inside the drop zone on Saturday with Eintracht Frankfurt moving two points above them.

Their guests on Monday are Stuttgart, who are only ahead of Frankfurt on goal difference and who would trade places with Bremen if they lose by more than one goal at the Weserstadion.

The stakes are therefore high and Bremen coach Viktor Skripnik says it is time to separate the men from the boys.

"We need players who are strong psychologically and with fresh minds," he said. "We're fully focused on this challenge.

"I just hope nobody has any fear. We believe in our strength and now we must deliver."

Skripnik took his team away into a mini training camp in Verden on Saturday, with their sessions held behind closed doors.

He nevertheless revealed a few details about their training in a bid to end speculation that top-scorer Claudio Pizarro would miss the rest of the season due to injury.

"If our training sessions were not secret, then you would have seen him in action," Skripnik said.

"All of my squad are fully fit."

Kevin Grosskreutz could also fall into that category for Stuttgart since he returned to full training this week for the first time since the middle of March.

"We desperately want to have him fit again," said Stuttgart coach Jurgen Kramny. "His recovery has gone quicker than we thought and it is not to be ruled out that he will play in Bremen."

Kramny can certainly do with the German midfielder returning since his side have yet to win without him.

They have lost four and drawn one of their five games since the 27-year-old winter recruit was ruled out with a muscular injury, sliding from 11th in the table to the brink of the relegation zone.

"It's been good to have him back with the squad," added Kramny, who also took his side away to a training camp this week.

"We've worked hard and focused solely on the sporting side of things," Kramny said. "That is what we wanted - to be able to work hard in peace and quiet."

They will only find similarly harmonious surroundings on their return to Stuttgart on Tuesday if they succeed in picking up maximum points in Bremen, otherwise it could be a difficult final two weeks of the season for the Swabians.