After a 106-day wait, Bundesliga football is finally set to return to the Weserstadion. Head coach Ole Werner and the Green-Whites will host Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, 31st August (15:30 CEST). Read on for all the updates from Thursday’s pre-match press conference.
The first home game of the season is always something special. Werder’s opening match at the Weserstadion in 2024/25 will also be an emotional one for the club and its supporters, as they remember the legendary Wilfried ‘Willi’ Lemke. There will be a minute’s silence held ahead of kick off, while the player mascots will be wearing shirts with ‘DANKE WILLI’ on the front. Our team will also play in shirts printed with this message.
The match will also mark the first time that Werder’s newly-restored away end will be full this season. Over 4,000 BVB fans are expected to make the trip to Bremen, with Saturday’s match fully sold-out. “We will see on Saturday whether it will be louder than before,” Werner said with a grin, adding “It will be a bit different to be taking a corner right in front of the away end. But, as it’s a home game, we can expect there to be plenty of support for us.”
The head coach will have nearly a full squad to choose from, with only Amos Pieper (recently returned to team training) missing out. “I think that he’ll be able to return fully during the international break and that he might be able to get a few minutes during the friendly in Münster so that we can ease him back in,” Werner explained.
????️ Ole Werner with a squad update ahead of #svwbvb:
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) August 29, 2024
"Amos Pieper is the only player that will miss the game against Dortmund. Everyone else is fit and available." #werderpic.twitter.com/W43sjKLZI4
This weekend will also see the return of former Green-White, Nuri Şahin, now the head coach of BVB. Despite Borussia only finishing fifth last season, Werner sees them as one of the favourites to win the title. Şahin’s first league match in charge of the side saw them win 2-0 at home against Eintracht Frankfurt, and in Werner’s opinion, they are even stronger than last season: “They have brought in several strong players and I have noticed that they seem to have more quality and a better shape out on the pitch. It will be a tough challenge for us.”
Nevertheless, Werner sees opportunities for his side to pose a challenge for their visitors this weekend. Werder are currently unbeaten in their last seven competitive games, going back to last season, proving that they “have what it takes to compete against top teams.” Werner added, “We need to be smart and take our chances. We know the quality that Dortmund have, which is why we will need to make sure to play to our strengths as well.”
