Bremen on a high

Schalke and Werder Bremen hope to bounce back from poor opening performances last week, but they do so in contrasting moods. Bremen head into today's home game against Cologne on a high after beating Sampdoria to reach the Champions League group stage. Schalke, however, appear to be a club in turmoil as they prepare to host Hannover. Fans have voiced their unhappiness about the leadership of coach Felix Magath. Despite the signings of Raul and Christoph Metzelder, Schalke are still feverishly scouring the market to solidify a suspect defence.

Bremen lost Mesut Ozil to Real Madrid before the first leg of their Champions League play-off, and centre-back Naldo suffered a knee injury. "We have to get used to the injuries and transfers of teammates," said Bremen defender Per Mertesacker. "We lost some important players and have new players in the team who have to find their way."

Today Schalke v Hannover Werder Bremen v Cologne Wolfsburg v Mainz Eintracht Frankfurt v Hamburg Nuremberg v Freiburg St Pauli v Hoffenheim Tomorrow Leverkusen v Borussia M'gladbach Suttgart v Borussia Dortmund