SV Werder Bremen’s Bundesliga meeting with 1. FC Köln on Saturday, 23rd September 2023 (18:30 CEST) at the wohninvest WESERSTADION is expected to be nothing short of intense. The team from North Rhine-Westphalia are yet to win a league match this season, which SV Werder are hoping to use to their advantage and get back on track after their defeat to Heidenheim.
The squad: “All the players are fit and in the running to be chosen for the squad,” announced head coach Ole Werner in Thursday’s press conference. Summer signing Naby Keïta will be included in the matchday squad for the first time in the Bundesliga with the Green-Whites after an injury spell. “Naby isn’t ready to be in the starting XI yet, but could definitely still make an appearance from the bench,” shared Werner.
Head coach Ole Werner on the opposition: “Köln have a distinct style of play, where they press aggressively and are direct in possession, allowing them to deliver lots of crosses and get shots off from every point on the pitch. They’re also known for being very strong on the counter. They’ve proven this not only over the past few games, but practically throughout the entire time that Steffen Baumgart has managed the side. Our style of play is also very recognisable, so I imagine both teams will stick to their usual tactics, despite the poor results in recent weeks. I’m anticipating the match to be end-to-end and very intense for the full 90 minutes.”
The last meeting: This will be the 99th match between these two founding members of the Bundesliga, where Werder will have the chance to level the playing field. FC Köln have won 36 of the previous meetings, whereas the Green-Whites have only come out on top in 35, meaning 28 clashes finished with a draw, including the most recent fixture. A 1-1 draw on matchday 33 last season saw Romano Schmid’s goal secure not only a point in the table for the Green-Whites, but also helped them secure safety.
Aces up their sleeve: SVW have already had three goals scored by substitutes through Justin Njinmah, Marvin Ducksch and Leonardo Bittencourt, the most of any side in the Bundesliga this term. Köln’s substitutes are yet to score any goals so far this season. In general, Köln have lacked attacking threat up until this point, with no other team scoring fewer goals (3), while they also have accumulated the lowest Expected Goals value (xG of 4.0). Werder find themselves in the top third of the table (6th) based on this metric, having accumulated an xG of 7.8.
Two sides who like a duel: After four matchdays, Bremen and Köln have averaged the same number of duels per game (196). Only two teams have registered more one-on-one duels, with Werder (52.9%) winning slightly more of theirs than Köln (51.6%),the third-best rate in the league.
Season objective :white_check_mark:#werder will remain in the Bundesliga next season :muscle:#SVWKOEpic.twitter.com/ZMftnDab8z
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) May 20, 2023
