Werder Bremen – Union Berlin : Preview & Prediction
It has been a difficult few weeks recently for Werder Bremen, who suffered a third consecutive league defeat at the weekend when they were beaten 1-0 by Borussia Dortmund. Bremen have not lost back-to-back league games since January, but when they did it was only Union Berlin themselves who handed them a fourth defeat in a row.
Despite that, returning to the Weserstadion can only be seen as a positive for Werder, who have achieved both of their wins in this league season when at their home stadium (G2, P2). Both of their losses came against teams that started the day in the top six, and with two goals scored on average per home game, one could expect a resurgent performance from Bremen against a team that is also struggling.
One thing that could play in Bremen’s favor is the fact that Union come into this clash on the heels of another listless afternoon in their first UEFA Champions League campaign in losing 1-0 to Napoli. The Iron Ones have now lost nine consecutive official matches, a run that contains six Bundesliga defeats, which is a new club record and the longest current losing streak in the top flight.
That sequence finds last season’s fourth-placed side trailing Bremen in the table by just one goal and leaves them in serious danger of relegation unless they can turn things around soon. Acclaimed Union coach Urs Fischer insisted during the week that he is “not worried”, with that sense of calm being a necessity as his charges look to return to the level that saw them score eight goals in their first two official away games of the season.
Players to watch: Bremen may be inconsistent in terms of results, but Marvin Ducksch has proven to be a consistent threat for his club by registering a goalscoring contribution in five of his last six league appearances (two goals, three assists). Any Union resurgence could hinge on a strong performance from forward Kevin Behrens. He has scored four goals in eight league appearances this season and earned his first call-up to the 32-year-old German national team during the recent international break.
Key stat: Bremen have conceded the opening goal in seven of their eight games this league season.
Werder Bremen – Union Berlin : Betting Tips
Werder Bremen – Win Odds: 2.25
