"It's an absolute highlight, just as we see all matches in the Champions League as highlights," he told uefa.com.

"You look forward to these kinds of games. International competitions are still something special.

"Everyone – all the players and the support staff – is looking forward to the matches, and in Bremen you can see that there's great enthusiasm once more."

Bremen suffered a stuttering start in the Bundesliga but Schaaf, while admitting his side are not one of Europe's powerhouses, remains hopeful they can progress to the Champions League knock out phase.

"Because we haven't been able to achieve this objective year in, year out, I think we don't belong among the truly major clubs – but I do think we've set standards that are astonishing for a club like ours," he said.