Position
DFB Cup quarter-final at Leverkusen: A lot of Werder fans will be happy to remember that. It's just two years since the two clubs met at this stage of the competition – with an unhappy exit for the Werkself. After going 1-0 up – Chicharito from the penalty spot – Bayer 04 ended up losing 3-1 in a repeat of the final in 2009 when Werder won 1-0. Back then Werder secured their biggest success of the last decade when up-and-coming Mesut Özil scored the only goal of the game. The team from North Germany were back in the DFB Cup final the following year (losing 4-0 to FC Bayern) before a fallow period followed in the domestic cup competition. Since 2010 the Green and Whites have only been in this competition once after the winter break and Werder have gone out at the first round four times against lower league opposition. This season also saw a possibly tricky challenge against Würzburger Kickers, newly demoted to the third division. This time SVW came through easily with a 3-0 victory before going on to beat 1899 Hoffenheim (1-0) and SC Freiburg (3-2) in the following rounds at home. In the Bundesliga, Werder clocked up a 2-1 win away to FC Schalke 04 at the weekend to move up from the play-off spot to fifteenth in the table.
personnel
The telephone line of Bremen CEO Frank Baumann must have been hot on 31 January. On the last day of the transfer window there were comings and goings in the Bremen squad. Striker Izet Hajrovic, who only played as a substitute in the first half of the Bundesliga campaign, was transferred to Dynamo Zagreb. His place in the squad was taken by Milot Rashica (pictured above). The 21-year-old winger from Kosovo came from Dutch Europa League participants Vitesse Arnheim to reinvigorate the Werder attack. SVW were also successful on deadline day with their defence. Sebastian Langkamp brings much experience to the Bremen central defence with over 150 Bundesliga games for Karlsruher SC, FC Augsburg and most recently Hertha Berlin. In addition, he should be a leader both on and off the pitch said Baumann about the last-minute signing of the defender. Werder were also active before the final day of the window. The Swiss player Ulisses Garcia was loaned out to FC Nürnberg. His position at left back for the Green and Whites also covered by a loan signing with Marco Friedl coming in from FC Bayern a player with enormous potential. The 19-year-old made his Bundesliga debut for the record champions in November.
problems
Werder are still not scoring enough goals. Nevertheless: Coach Florian Kohfeldt has succeeded in stabilising the team after taking over the managerial helm. Significantly more chances and are being created. At Schalke, Werder were clinical in exploiting having an extra man (following the dismissal of Nastasic) with two goals scored. There has been one particularly heavy blow: Fin Bartels, after the appointment of the new coach Kohfeldt, thriving as the strike partner of Max Kruse, is no longer available this season after suffering a torn Achilles in December. And central defender Lamine Sané will also not be in the Bremen squad against the Werkself. The Senegalese, the main man in the defence for Werder in the first half of the season, fell out of favour in the winter after trying to force through a move to FC Metz by failing to turn up to training. The result: The transfer fell through, Sané was suspended and, according to the management at Werder, he has "no future in the first team."
potential
The boom years are over. Not only for football reasons but also due to the financial position, the former main challengers to Bayern have had to cut back immensely. The result: The team has been getting older for years as the funds have not been available to bring in young stars. A trend that Florian Kohfeldt is looking to put an end to. Homegrown player Maximilian Eggestein has only missed one minute under the new coach and U23 player Ole Käuper has also been brought into the squad. The winter signings of Friedl and Rashica also point to Werder looking to reduce the age of the squad. After seven seasons in succession ending between places eight and 14 in the Bundesliga, there is now a chance of getting back on track to success in the far north – even if it is a development that will not immediately bear fruit.
Prediction
Werder come to the BayArena as underdogs. The fact that doesn't really mean that much was approved by the Green and Whites two years ago – a warning for the Werkself. However, even if Leverkusen is the end of the road, that would not be disastrous for the six-time cup winners. The main concern remains the battle against relegation from the Bundesliga. As Kohfeldt's team is playing the most attractive football of the teams at the wrong end of the table, there is a lot to be said that SVW will stay up at the end of the seasonup.
