Werder Bremen v Eintracht Frankfurt match preview

As the Green Whites left the pitch following their draw to Anorthosis Famagusta the club seemed bathed in a pall of disappointment. Whether you use the term "crisis" or just "disappointment", the situation is far from acceptable in Bremen.

Interestingly enough the club has been notably quieter with the media and presumably they are looking at this strictly in business terms. With only three matches remaining for the long winter break, Werder is ninth in the table a full eleven points off Hoffenheim and showing little signs they can make up for lost ground.

Thomas Schaaf will be handicapped with the loss of Tim Wiese and Petri Pasanen, both injured in practice as well as Mesut Özil, Daniel Jensenand Martin Harnik. In addition to this the club is grappling with physical fatigue but most worrisome, rumours of internal leadership battles. Eintracht Frankfurt is equally having its problems and given their injury list are doing quite well at twelfth position. Their injury list is remarkable as they are without a near full-side including Bosnia and Herzegovina international Zlatan Bajramović, Ümit Korkmaz, Christoph Spycher, Christoph Preuß, Alexander Meier, Oka Nikolov, Chris, Krešo Ljubičić and their captain, Greek capped Ioannis Amanatidis.

It will be critical to get off to a good start and bring the home fans off their seat in support or this will become a trying test.