Bremen replace Kohfeldt with Schaaf

Werder Bremen on Sunday sacked head coach Florian Kohfeldt and replaced him with club legend Thomas Schaaf for their final league game this season after the club slipped into the bottom three of the Bundesliga.

After four years in charge, Kohfeldt, 38, has been shown the door with just next Saturday's home game against Borussia Moenchengladbach left as Bremen fight to stay in Germany's top flight.

Bremen are 16th, which carries a promotion/relegation play-off at the end of the season, after Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Augsburg left them just one point above Cologne, who are in the direct relegation places.

"Unfortunately, after the game in Augsburg, we no longer had the conviction that we could manage to stay in the league with Florian Kohfeldt," said Bremen sports director Frank Baumann.

Kohfeldt has paid the price after Bremen lost eight of their last nine league games.

Club legend Schaaf, 60, who was Bremen head coach from 1999 until 2013, will take charge for the nail-biting final game at home to Gladbach.

The same day, Cologne host Schalke, who are already relegated, while Bremen are a point behind Arminia Bielefeld in 15th, which guarantees safety.

Schaaf spent his whole playing career at Bremen, making a total of 380 appearances and twice winning the Bundesliga title with the north German club.

He was head coach when Bremen won both the Bundesliga and German Cup in 2003-04.