But first AC Milan

Three matches into the Rückrunde the Green Whites have only a single point to show for their toils. At tenth place in the table, the Champions League performance of last year is a long way off and they need to start to pick up points, one match at a time.

This Saturday they face Energie Cottbus who shocked Hannover 96 3-1 two weeks ago and held Dortmund to a 1-1 draw on Sunday. Fighting to avoid relegation their coach, Bojan Prašnikar, will use a 4-4-2 diamond and have shown an ability to combine good attacking with disciplined defending.

Werder's offensive woes are no secret with productivity into a tailspin. However Thomas Schaaf is readying for a major boost as Jurica Vranješ, Daniel Jensen and Diego are set to return.

The hope is that both Jurica Vranješ and Daniel Jensen will be able to go in Saturday's important match. Danish international Jensen said after Sunday's practice:

"It's gotten a lot better. I can run without any problems. But it still hurts when I shoot.

"The plan is to test it in shooting again tomorrow before practice. And if it's okay then I should be able to get back to team training tomorrow."

In addition to these two German U21 Aaron Hunt is recovering well and will know soon when he can return to team training.

But before the weekend they face AC Milan in the UEFA Cup on Wednesday.