Werder focus on attacking revival

Former Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen, who have spent much of the season in the relegation zone, could complete a sensational comeback with victory at Ingolstadt today.

A win could move Werder into seventh place, which leads to the Europa League qualifiers, or even sixth spot and an automatic place in the European competition next season.

Unbeaten in their last nine league matches and having won seven of those, Werder have climbed out of

16th place and have the second best points haul with 23 since the winter break, behind only Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich who picked up 27.

Under Alexander Nouri, who took over as interim manager in September before signing a permanent deal, Werder’s attacking game has seen them score 15 goals in their last five league games and notch up wins over secondplaced RB Leipzig and potential relegation candidates Schalke 04 and Hamburg SV.

“Fans can chant about Europe and we can sort of take a look up the table to see what’s happening there but we remain cautious,” Werder’s Fin Bartels said following last week’s 2-1 victory over northern rivals Hamburg.

“Our focus is on the next game and the 40-point mark.”

That milestone has traditionally marked safety from relegation, and while few fans now fear Werder will go down, the players are in no mood to spend any time talking about European football next season before they have

secured a top flight spot.