On Saturday, 9th March, SV Werder Bremen will face off against fourth-place Borussia Dortmund in front of a home crowd at 18:30 CET. In order for the Green-Whites to continue down the path of success they've been on after the winter break, they will have to put in a strong defensive performance against the Champions League contenders, who have been impressive on the road as of late.
Squad update: Much to Ole Werner’s delight, Werder’s extensive list of absentees has now considerably decreased in size following the return ofNiklas Stark, Milos Veljkovic, and Isak Hansen-Aarøe. However, the head coach will still have to do without his captain Marco Friedl (syndesmosis ligament tear), Amos Pieper (broken ankle), and goalkeeper Spyros Angelidis (broken hand), who are all continuing to work on their respective comebacks.
Ole Werner on the opposition: “They're one of the best teams in Europe, so it definitely won't be a walk in the park. When Dortmund leave gaps, you have to exploit them. They're quick on the counter, so we can't afford to make mistakes in possession."
Previous meetings: Werder vs. Dortmund is a historic fixture. The sides met on the opening day of the first Bundesliga season in 1963/64, which saw SVW claim all three points in a 3-2 victory in front of a home crowd, securing the first of a total of 42 Bundesliga wins against Borussia. The Green-Whites will be hoping to add to that tally on Saturday in the 110th Bundesliga meeting between the two. BVB, meanwhile, are aiming to build on their 1-0 win in the reverse fixture by winning for the 49th time against Werder.
Home vs. away record: Dortmund have suffered only one defeat in their twelve away games so far this season. That loss came at Stuttgart on matchday 11, when their otherwise rock-solid defence was breached twice as Edin Terzić's team went down 2-1. Last season’s Bundesliga runners-up have otherwise been formidable defensively on the road, conceding only one goal away from home in 2024 so far. But the statistics aren’t all against SVW. Werder have a positive home record this season, with three draws in addition to their five wins at the wohninvest WESERSTADION. They have also scored at least one goal in each of their competitive games in 2024.
Cross, header, goal: The Green-Whites’ impressive crossing and heading ability could be the key to unlocking the Dortmund defence. Justin Njinmah and co. have already netted eight times following a cross from open play. Additionally, BVB have conceded the fifth-most shots on goal following crosses in the division (51). Dortmund are appeared to be somewhat reluctant to get involved in the aerial duels, having only won 48.9% of their 765 aerial duels, which places them in the league’s bottom third. This presents an opportunity for SVW, who are in the top five for headed goals scored this Bundesliga season with nine.
