On Saturday 22nd April at 15:30 (CEST), SV Werder will face Hertha BSC away from home. SVW want to earn an important away win in the meeting with direct rivals in the fight to remain in the league. “For us, it’s about not letting up and continuing to work hard. Even in a situation like this, we should look at the positive side,” said Ole Werner at the press conference on Thursday.
The squad: Everyone was on the pitch today and trained,” revealed Ole Werner after the session behind closed doors on Thursday. However, it is not guaranteed that Niclas Füllkrug, Milos Veljkovic and Amos Pieper, who have been injured recently, will be able to play in Berlin. “There is still a question mark surrounding them because we have to assess their condition from day to day,” the head coach added cautiously. Felix Agu will definitely not be in the squad. The full-back is back in training after his injury, but it is still too early for him to be included for the game against Hertha.
Head coach Ole Werner on the opposition: When a new coach comes in, things are usually a bit less clear. We can’t be sure how Hertha will perform, what their system will be and who will feature for them. That makes it all the more important for us to focus on our own strengths. In the end, there is no other option. We can’t prepare every detail, as is otherwise possible when a coach has been there for 20, 25 games. That’s why the focus is on us, we want to be prepared and I think we are.”
Recent matches: SVW and Hertha have faced each other 77 times in the Bundesliga. The record is a positive one from a Werder point of view, with 38 wins coming for them along with 19 draws and 20 defeats to the “Old Lady”. The Green-Whites can further improve to this record in the reverse fixture. SVW won the last meeting at the wohninvest WESERSTADION 1-0 thanks to Niclas Füllkrug’s late goal.
Good record at the Olympiastadion: SVW are unbeaten in away matches against Hertha since December 2013 (2W, 5D). The club from the capital have never had to wait that long for a home win against Werder. The Bremen side have only been defeated in one of the last 16 encounters in the Bundesliga (7W, 8D).
Prolific in the air: SVW have scored 11 times with headers this season, a figure only bettered by Hertha’s rivals from Berlin Union. Hertha have also conceded 11 goals from headers, which is more than any other team in the Bundesliga. One of these was Niclas Füllkrug’s late winning goal in the reverse fixture which ended in a 1-0 win for the Green-Whites at the wohninvest WESERSTADION.
