Werder Bremen and Schalke 04 can present the 2nd league promotion on Friday – and take a big step towards Bundesliga return with victories.

Mike Büskens is already looking forward to the Gelsenkirchen Tollhaus. Before the final sprint in the promotion race, the interim coach from Schalke 04 fueled the really big feelings. “We already said to the players in the season: boys if we should go up,” said Büskens on Thursday, “then you will experience things that you have not yet experienced in your life.”

Head cinema as a hot maker – Büskens knows what he is talking about. As one of the legendary “Eurofighter”, he experienced the UEFA Cup victory 25 years ago and won the trophy twice-now the next very big party with the royal blue attachment. Büskens would be in the middle of it again: “These are unique moments.”

10,000 Schalke fans are expected on Friday (6:30 p.m./Sky) at the away game against SV Sandhausen to take the next step in Bundesliga return. The euphoria in the area is huge. “It’s nice that this positive thinking around the club is available again,” said Werder Bremens director Rouven Schröder. Now it is important to steer the whole thing into the “right track”.

Leaders Werder Bremen also wants to present on Friday evening. With a victory against Holstein Kiel, the relegation place could be secured at the weekend with corresponding results of the competition from Hamburg and Darmstadt.

Something special is the duel for Werder coach Ole Werner, who worked almost a decade as a youth and later head coach at Holstein until his resignation in autumn. “It won’t be a normal game for Ole,” said Bremen’s Werder Bremens director Frank Baumann. Despite a “certain gratitude”, Werner is a “professional” and “will concentrate fully on his task”. Werner’s order for Friday: Siegen. And thus increase the pressure on the competition.

Finally, the cushion would grow on the third Darmstadt on a whopping six points, which only has to go against Aue on Saturday (8:30 p.m./Werder Bremen1). Even nine would be the hoping and also on Saturday (1:30 p.m./Sky) Hamburger SV that would be fifth.

As the largest unknown person comes before FC St. Pauli’s target sprint. Before the home game on Friday (6.30 p.m./Sky) against 1. FC Nürnberg, the Kiezklub lurks despite four games without a win with just one point behind Darmstadt. Coach Timo Schultz does not matter that the unpopular city rival HSV suddenly presses again from behind.

“My focus is certainly not on who can catch up with me, but on those who stand in front of me that I still come past them,” said Schultz. The promotion race, he emphasized in front of the tense third-last second division game day, “is only on the 34th matchday. There is still so much possible.”