Amos Pieper

ANALYSIS
Pieper still has ground to cover before rejoining full team training, as the defender remains in the rehab phase of his recovery from a knee injury that has already sidelined him for the last five matches. A return isn't imminent, with several more weeks likely on the shelf and no expectation of him getting back on the training pitch this week. That's a tough hit for Bremen, considering he's been a steady starter all season and depth along the back line is looking stretched, so until he's cleared, Marco Friedl and Niklas Stark are set to shoulder heavier minutes, while Abdoul-Karim Coulibaly (thigh) will also factor into the rotation once he's fully past his issue.