Luckless Werder Bremen running out of time in Bundesliga

 Werder Bremen coach Florian Kohfeldt just isn’t having any luck at moment.

Bremen was kcked out of German Cup on Wednesday and faces a struggle to remain in Bundesliga after losing its last five league games.

To make matters more, experienced defender Ömer Toprak was injured in 2-0 quarterfinal loss at Eintracht Frankfurt and will miss Bremen’s crucial visit to Hertha Berlin in Bundesliga on Saturday. Bremen is eight points from safety, and four from a relegation playoff place.

“I’ll keep fighting and kw that my team will also keep fighting,“ Kohfeldt said. “We’re t victims. If we allowed ourselves be talked into that, that would be our biggest mistake. We’ll turn it around and bring it to a successful conclusion in end.”

Kohfeldt has had to endure one setback after ar and was particularly anyed about a VAR decision that gave Frankfurt a penalty for a previously unticed handball by Ludwig Augustinsson in first-half injury time.

“ne of spectators or players saw anything. n forensic search begins,” Kohfeldt said. “I’m t one to always blame referees. But in my opinion video assistant should only intervene when re’s a clear wrong call. I didn’t see that.”

Counterpart Adi Hütter ackwledged Frankfurt had been fortunate.

“That was a lucky decision for us and key moment in game,” Hütter said.

Toprak was brought to a local hospital with a suspected fibula break, though injury is t as serious as initially feared.

“Luckily thing is broken,” Kohfeldt said Thursday.

Bremen has been sticking with Kohfeldt because of a belief that 37-year-old coach can turn team around. He has praised his players’ efforts, even when results are t going ir way.

Saturday’s visit to Hertha is shaping up to be a decisive game. Hertha has had its own troubles recently after Jürgen Klinsmann’s shock resignation as coach and has only won one of its last seven league games.

With interim coach Alexander uri at helm, Hertha mand to come from three goals down to draw 3-3 at Fortuna Düsseldorf last weekend, but team is far from settled and conceded five goals at home against Cologne previous weekend.

A win for Bremen on Saturday would drag Hertha back into relegation scrap. re are currently 10 points between teams.

“It’s an extremely important game for us,” Bremen managing director Frank Baumann said. “ team’s character is in order, y’ve taken situation on. I’m sure we’ll turn it around. But we don’t have much more time. That’s why it’s so important that we start on Saturday.”