Our next opponents: Werder looking to finally get going at home

Position

Werder Bremen have not won in three games at home and not even scored a goal. This is the first time that has happened to the Bremen side in their 60th Bundesliga season. In contrast, the Green and Whites have performed very well on the road. Four games, three wins, one draw, twelve goals for and eight against – that is the record at opponents grounds. As good as these wins away from home in Germany are, their fans are naturally keenly awaiting the chance to celebrate at home. Will that happen on Saturday against the German double winners?

Werder were able to gain confidence last Sunday with a 4-2 win in Wolfsburg following a 1-0 defeat at home to SC Freiburg. It is a case of ups and downs at the moment. A 2-1 win at Mainz 05 in the middle of September was followed by a sobering 5-0 defeat against Bayern Munich. What's the explanation? Can the team from the Hanseatic city only express themselves away from home? They have scored eight goals in the last two games. The team led by coach Ole Werner came back from 3-0 down at TSG Hoffenheim to win 4-3. And now another four goals in Wolfsburg. The Werder coach was "completely satisfied with performance – and with the result in any case." His team were able to come back from 1-0 down just before half-time thanks to a goal from former Leverkusen player Mitchell Weiser. "It was important to find an answer before half-time," said Werner. "We stuck to the way we wanted to play and did even better in terms of quality and accuracy. That was really good football." Felix Agu, Marvin Ducksch and Marco Grüll scored in the second 45 to seal the victory. Werder Bremen have moved up to eighth place on eleven points with their third win in the seventh games.

Personnel

If Anthony Jung, who was substituted early on in Wolfsburg with a groin problem, is not fit for the match against Leverkusen, he could well be replaced in defence by Amos Pieper. He came on for Jung at VfL Wolfsburg and produced an impressive performance in central defence. Back in full training this week are the defender Milos Veljkovic and the striker Justin Njinmah. Central defender Niklas Stark (muscular problems) is still training on his own. In the game at Wolfsburg, Werder also miss the two midfielders Jens Stage (calf muscle injury) and Skelly Alvero (knee problem), who was signed from Lyon in January 2024. Senne Lynen and Leonardo Bittencourt played in central midfield at Wolfsburg.

Werder have had a lot of joy down the flanks with Mitchell Weiser and Felix Agu. Weiser, who played 75 games for Bayer 04 between 2018 and 2022, played further up the pitch on the right against Hoffenheim and Freiburg but deeper in the game at Wolfsburg. The Troisdorf-born player is the best provider in his team with four assists so far this term. His teammate Felix Agu is also in good form. The 25-year-old scored for the second time last weekend. Established players up front are centre forward Marvin Ducksch and the left winger Romano Schmid. The Austrian, like Ducksch, Agu, and Zetterer, has started all seven games to date.

Problems

Batten down the hatches – the team from the Hanseatic city have not really been able to achieve that so far. Goalkeeper Michael Zetterer has picked the ball out of his net 14 times this season. In the last four matches, the North German side have conceded eleven goals despite two wins. The spanner in the works is in defence. Werder Bremen have, above all, often started poorly in the first half. The Green and Whites went behind early in the games against Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich. They have conceded nine of the 14 goals so far in the first 45 minutes. At the same time, and here we come to the performers,…

Performers

..Werder Bremen have shown impressive comeback qualities this season. Both against Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim they turned the games round in their favour – at TSG they drew level before half-time after being 3-0 down. Albeit the Werner team did have a man extra from 18 minutes. At the end of the day they did win 4-3. Bremen have picked up seven points from losing positions and that is more than any other team. The strong morale of the group is one thing. A clearly well-oiled attack is another. Marvin Ducksch (two goals, three assists), Mitchell Weiser (one goal, four assists), Jens Stage (three goals) and Felix Agu (two goals, one assist) are all worth a mention. But new signing Marco Grüll, who joined Bremen from Rapid Vienna in the summer, is improving more and more and he scored his first Bundesliga goal for Werder in Wolfsburg.

Werder Bremen have already scored four goals in counter-attacks. They certainly lead the way in terms of efficiency. In the categories of shots on target (60%), converting chances (23%), converting big chances (53%) and crossing accuracy (33%) the North German club have top numbers. The duo of Ducksch and Weiser have particularly stood out recently. "They know exactly which runs the other one’s making and where the ball has to go to," said Ole Werner about the two players "who are very clever and very good in front of goal."