Werder Bremen vs. Hoffenheim – News and Probable Lineups

Hoffenheim aims to enhance their advancement in the Bundesliga standings by defeating the home team Werder Bremen at Weserstadion this Saturday.

Currently, Bremen is positioned sixth with 12 points and has shown resilience throughout much of the current season. In comparison, Hoffenheim is sitting in tenth place with nine points and has the potential to rise as high as fifth by the end of the weekend.

Match overview

Recently, Bremen has displayed remarkable form, looking to extend their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to seven matches. A victory would mark their fourth win within that span.

Nonetheless, the Green-Whites experienced a setback, losing 3-2 to Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal on October 27, which will be frustrating as they conceded a last-minute goal after rallying from a 2-0 deficit.

Head coach Daniel Thioune will be pleased to note that his team has managed to score at least two goals in each of their last five matches. However, they have only kept one clean sheet across nine fixtures this season, which occurred during their opening match in the first round of the DFB-Pokal against Luneburger Hansa back in August.

Werder Bremen’s performances at Weserstadion have been commendable this season, as they have secured two victories and a draw from their three home matches.

In those matches, Thioune’s team found the net eight times while allowing in five goals, and they are yet to achieve a clean sheet at home after eight matches.

Hoffenheim had a rocky start to the season, enduring six losses in their first eight competitive fixtures, including four defeats in their opening five league games.

However, Christian Ilzer’s squad seems to be on the mend, winning three out of their last four fixtures, even though their latest outing ended in a penalty shootout defeat to Holstein Kiel in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday.

Two of Die Kraichgauer’s three victories occurred at home, which raises concerns about their recent form away from home, having lost four of their last five matches on the road. That said, they did secure a 2-1 win against Borussia Monchengladbach in their previous Bundesliga away game on October 18.

Hoffenheim has conceded seven goals in their away matches but has managed to score five times.

The visitors hold a favorable record against Werder Bremen, and another win this weekend could mark their fourth straight victory over them.

Team News

Werder Bremen continues to cope with several injuries, with players such as Justin Njinmah and Keke Topp set to miss out. Nevertheless, their absence will have less impact if striker Niclas Fullkrug finds the back of the net for an eighth consecutive match.

Midfielder Jens Stage (thigh) and defender Niklas Stark (muscle) have also been ruled out, which might lead to the inclusion of Ludovit Reis and Youri Regeer in front of centre-backs Amos Pieper and Marco Friedl.

Hoffenheim has several missing players as well, notably winger Alexander Prass, who was sent off against Bayer Leverkusen on October 25.

They may opt for a forward line featuring Fisnik Asllani up front, with support from Adam Hlozek, Andrej Kramaric, and Adam Daghim.

Additionally, the likely pair to start in a double pivot could be Leon Avdullahu and Wouter Burger, while Ozan Kabak and Koki Machida are expected to feature in the heart of the defence.

Werder Bremen probable starting XI:

Hein; Arthur, Pieper, Friedl, Schmetgens; Rice, Regeer; Weiser, Chuki, Grull; Full jug

Hoffenheim probable starting XI:

Baumann; Coufal, Kabak, Machida, Rots; Avdullahu, Burger; Hlozek, Kramaric, Daghim; Asllani

Despite facing injury challenges, Werder Bremen has shown difficulty in being defeated, particularly when competing at home.

Though Hoffenheim’s away record this season isn’t flawless, they have traditionally performed well against Bremen in previous encounters, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they departed Weserstadion with at least a point.