Overview
- Justin Njinmah returned from a roughly 69-day thigh layoff on Monday, coming on for about 23–25 minutes in Werder Bremen’s 0-1 loss to VfB Stuttgart.
- Coach Daniel Thioune said Njinmah is medically fit for more than 45 minutes but will be eased back in and must still compete for a starting place.
- Marco Grüll canceled a trip to the Austrian national team because of calf problems and Paul Erevbenagie remains unavailable with a sprained ankle, removing two usual wide options.
- Those absences leave Njinmah and Eren Dinkci as the primary natural wingers in the squad, a situation Thioune will reassess across training before deciding on a Nordderby starter.
- Njinmah accelerated his rehab against initial expectations and his possible start has wider effects for Werder’s tactics because Grüll was the team’s main chance creator and his absence forces Bremen to lean on pace and direct wing play.