Last audition before Klopp's squad: Füllkrug starts up front against Hoffenheim
Werder coach Daniel Thioune is restoring Niclas Füllkrug to the starting line-up against Hoffenheim today (15:30 CET). With eight goals, the 33-year-old tops the Bundesliga scoring chart.
Archive image · Photo: Silesia711 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Niclas Füllkrug gets his last chance to impress before head coach Jürgen Klopp names his squad on 5 November. "I can tell you in advance that Niclas Füllkrug, barring anything unforeseen, will start again," Werder coach Daniel Thioune said ahead of Saturday's home game against TSG Hoffenheim at 15:30 CET. In the DFB Cup against Borussia Dortmund the striker came off the bench and scored twice in a 3-2 defeat.
Füllkrug has eight Bundesliga goals and leads the scoring chart – ahead of Bayern's Harry Kane, who has four goals and five assists. Across all competitions he has eleven goals in nine games, according to fussballtransfers.com.
Whether that earns him a Germany recall is open. Klopp recently pointed to Füllkrug's age, noting that the striker is 33. Other forwards mentioned in the media include Mainz striker Phillip Tietz and Monaco's Under-21 international Paris Brunner.