Skripnik: Bremen just need to play

New Werder Bremen coach Viktor Skripnik reckons it is good his team will be back in action just three days after Robin Dutt was sacked.

Bremen travel to third-tier Chemnitz on Tuesday in the DFB-Pokal for what will be Skripnik’s first game in charge.

Dutt’s time at the helm was brought to an end on Saturday following Friday’s 1-0 loss to Cologne, with Werder left at the foot of the Bundesliga table.

And Skripnik, who was formerly in charge of the club’s under-23 team, is raring to get started.

“The players don’t have time to have unnecessary thoughts [with a game so soon after Dutt’s departure],” Skripnik said.

“That will not be an easy match for us. They are currently third and playing for promotion.

“My team cannot go into the match big-headed but we should play with confidence.”

Werder have just four points from their opening nine league matches and they have yet to taste victory in Germany’s top tier this season.

The only competitive win they have managed so far in 2014-15 was in the previous round of the DFB-Pokal when they overcame fourth-tier Illertissen 3-2 in extra time.

After their trip to Chemnitz, Skripnik’s men will face Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday and the coach has backed his charges to find the points required to stave off relegation.

“I know the feeling of playing against the relegation. I experienced that as a player with Werder in 1999,” the Ukrainian said.

“[General manager Frank] Baumann, [assistant coach Torsten] Frings and I collected that experience. I still remember it.

“I was injured but still always took responsibility, pushing the team in the East Curve with the fans and feeling responsible. We share the success and failures with the team.”