SV Werder Bremen are set to host 1. FC Union Berlin, who occupy their neighbouring position in the table, at the wohninvest WESERSTADION on Saturday, 28th October (15:30 CEST). The Green-Whites are looking to build on last week’s performance against Dortmund and finally get a win under their belts after three consecutive defeats.
Squad update: Niklas Stark and Jiri Pavlenka will still be absent due to adductor problems, joined by Naby Keïta, who is also out with an injury. Christian Groß will also be sitting out of the clash against Union due to calf problems. Head coach Ole Werner, on the other hand, had more positive news to share about a possible return of Amos Pieper. The centre-back took part in team training again this week and is in the running for the squad on Saturday. It’s still uncertain as to whether Nicolai Rapp will make an appearance, as he missed the last training session of the week due to illness.
Ole Werner on the opposition: “They have similar problems to us after their new players joined later on. In addition, they were missing key members of the team in Knoche and Khedira, which is evident in that certain aspects of their game aren’t as polished as in previous years. Their approach hasn’t changed though, so we are preparing our solutions based on that.”
Previous meetings: On Saturday, the two teams face each other in the Bundesliga for the seventh time. This makes the game against the side from the capital one of the newest match-ups in Werder history. The head-to-head record is in the favour of Union Berlin. They have won five of the six encounters so far, including the last meeting in the second half of the 2022/23 season. Werder only managed to win on the fourth matchday of 2019/20, with Davy Klaassen and Niclas Füllkrug finding the net and Sebastian Andersson striking in between for Union.
Similar style of play: The Green-Whites don’t just share the same points haul as Union, but also display similarities in playing style. This is reflected in the stats. They have the lowest average ball possession of the 18 Bundesliga teams, but that makes them all the more effective at quick counterattacking and creating goalscoring chances through this. In terms of being clinical in front of goal, Werder have their noses in front. While Bremen have scored three times on the counter, Union Berlin have done so just once.
Dangerous corners: Union have produced 23 shots on goal from corners – the highest in the league. Three of these have found the net, meaning only Borussia Mönchengladbach have scored from more corners. But the Green-Whites know how to defend these situations. They have had to defend 52 opposition corners so far, and have only conceded once.
