Bundesliga
Werder Bremen 2019/20 season preview
Claudio Pizarro is set for his Bundesliga swansong in 2019/20. Can he sign off on a high with Werder Bremen, and what does the campaign hold for Josh Sargent?
bundesliga.com takes a closer look at what to expect from the Green-Whites in the new season...
Aims in 2019/20
Having gone so close to a return to Europe after a nine-year absence, Werder Bremen will be seeking to bring European football back to the wohninvest Weserstadion for the first time in a decade next season. Just a point separated Florian Kohfeldt's men from UEFA Europa League qualification last term, with Eintracht Frankfurt edging them out, and the remarkable job Kohfeldt has done since replacing Alexander Nouri in October 2017 has earned him a new contract through to 2023.
Continuity should be noticeable on the field too with relatively little activity in the transfer market this summer, with Niclas Füllkrug returning from Hannover and several youngsters earning professional contracts. It will be Pizarro's final year as a professional and he starts the campaign just three goals shy of the landmark figure of 200.
Learning from the Peruvian is Sargent, who will be looking to emerge this year alongside another shooting star, Milot Rashica.
Watch: Sargent gets off the mark in the Bundesliga
Player to watch
Sargent’s integration into the Bremen first team may be seen as slow but it has been steady for the 19-year-old. The USA international started with a bang in the Bundesliga, scoring with his first touch from the bench in a 3-1 win over Fortuna Düsseldorf – Werder’s opening opponents for 2019/20 – before doubling his tally just two appearances later against RB Leipzig.
Kohfeldt has been careful to protect his teenage striker so far but Sargent himself wants more playing time, and the coach looks set to oblige, promising the seven-time USMNT player a bigger role. And with the departure of Max Kruse to Fenerbahce, there is a place going in attack for the youngster to fill the 11 goals (and perhaps the nine assists) left by the former captain. Sargent may well be the ideal, long-term, fit in the Werder front line.
Summer transfers
IN: Robert Bauer (Nuremberg, end of loan), Benjamin Goller (Schalke), Marco Friedl (Bayern Munich, loan made permanent), Niclas Füllkrug (Hannover), Kyuhyon Park (Ulsan Hyundai, loan), Romano Schmid (Wolfsberger AC, end of loan), Ömer Toprak (Borussia Dortmund, loan)
OUT: Boubacar Barry (Uerdingen, loan), Felix Beijmo (Malmo, loan), Jan-Nicklas Beste (FC Emmen, loan), Thore Jacobsen (Magdeburg, loan), Aron Johansson (end of contract), Ole Käuper (Carl Zeiss Jena, loan), Max Kruse (end of contract), Jean Manuel Mbom (Uerdingen, loan), Jonah Osabutey (Mouscron, loan), Thanos Petsos (end of contract), Romano Schmid (Wolfsberger AC, loan), Niklas Schmidt (VfL Osnabrück, loan), Jannes Vollert (Hallescher FC, loan), Luca Zander (St. Pauli, loan made permanent), Michael Zetterer (PEC Zwolle, loan)
How they might line up
Stadium
Construction on the Wohninvest Weserstadion - its official name as of July 2019 - was originally completed in 1947, but it has since undergone a number of renovations.
In 2002 the capacity was increased to house 43,500 spectators, while the most recent upgrades took place prior to the 2012/13 season. The roof was completely reconstructed, with solar panels integrated to reduce the club's carbon footprint.
It is situated in one of the most picturesque locations of all Bundesliga stadiums, sitting right on the bank of the city's Weser river. As such fans can even arrive by boat, a service unique to Bremen in all of Germany.
Watch: Werder Bremen - all you need to know!
First five fixtures
Matchday 1: Fortuna Düsseldorf (h) – Saturday, 17 August, 3.30pm CEST
Matchday 2: Hoffenheim (a) – Saturday, 24 August, 3.30pm CEST
Matchday 3: Augsburg (h) – Sunday, 1 September, 3.30pm CEST
Matchday 4: Union Berlin (a) – Saturday, 14 September, 3.30pm CEST
Matchday 5: RB Leipzig (h) – Saturday, 21 September, 6.30pm CEST