Werder Bremen will have to do without Niclas Füllkrug in the duel against SC Freiburg on matchday 28. The top scorer in the Bundesliga is missing from coach Ole Werner’s team due to muscular problems in his calf.
Niclas Füllkrug was only able to train individually on Wednesday and Friday, his commitment was initially questionable. On Saturday, however, Bremen confirmed the 30-year-old’s absence for Sunday’s game against SC Freiburg (3.30 p.m., LIVE! on kicker).
“Niclas already had a few problems from the game against Mainz, which have now increased again, which is why he cannot play,” explained Werder coach Ole Werner. “The loss of abundance is of course bitter for us, but we will still do everything we can to keep the three points against Freiburg in Bremen.”
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Bremen have to do without their top scorer, and Füllkrug has already scored 16 goals this season. Not only does he lead the team’s internal rankings, he is also the top scorer in the Bundesliga.
Werner was optimistic that at least Füllkrug would not be out any longer. “We are confident with Niclas that he can be available again for the game in Berlin next week,” said the 34-year-old.
Already on Friday, Werner cited the “high stress” of Füllkrug over the past few weeks as a possible reason for the complaints – in addition to his appearances in the Bundesliga for Werder, Füllkrug also ran for the national team against Peru (2-0) and Belgium (2-3 ) on. “He just took one or two smaller things from the games,” explained Werner.
Who will replace Füllkrug in the starting XI against Freiburg is still open. Eren Dinkci is also injured (Werner: “Let’s see how he feels”), which is probably why Maximilian Philipp gets the advantage on the offensive.
