“We want to carry on paying back the fans’ trust”

“They were playing good football last season and have carried it on into this campaign,” said Tedesco about the team currently sitting in fourth place. “They are a team who are very flexible and can play a number of different systems, although they have a clear model,” Tedesco analysed. “They are good going forward and also have a number of talented individuals.” For Tedesco, the Werder head coach is a big reason for their success: “Florian Kohfeldt is doing a great job. He has really put his mark on the team,” explained Tedesco.

Fantastic fans the motivation for beating Bremen

The 33-year-old doesn’t want to dwell on who will go into the match as favourites. Instead, he feels that another factor could be decisive in Schalke getting their fourth straight win: “It’s another home game in front of our fantastic fans, who have proven how loyal they are in the past few weeks. We want to carry on paying back the fans’ trust with more good performances. “

According to Tedesco, the team has trained at an intensive level during the international break. With a number of players away with their countries, there was an opportunity to tailor the sessions to the individual players left. Tedesco was keeping an eye on the Royal Blue players on international duty, and saw Mark Uth make his Germany debut against the Netherlands. “Mark played well and worked hard just like he does for us,” commented Tedesco, who is sure that Mark uth will get off the mark soon.

Bastian Oczipka, Benjamin Stambouli and Steven Skrzybski all returned from long-term injuries last week and are taking part in full first-team training. Tedesco wouldn’t reveal whether or not they will be options for the squad against Werder: “The three lads are making a good impression on me, but we don’t have any pressure on us yet,” said the head coach. Cedric Teuchert, who was injured playing for Germany U21s against Norway on Friday, will definitely be out of the Werder game.