Back from the international break, back to the Bundesliga. SV Werder Bremen face 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the final game of matchday 3 on Sunday afternoon (15/9, 17:30 CEST). The Green-Whites are looking to take away the positive aspects of their first few matches and secure a first league win of the season. Here is the match preview.
Squad news: Head coach Ole Werner will have to do without Milos Veljkovic (foot) and Oliver Burke (muscular issue) in Mainz. After picking up a knock to his foot which caused him to depart from the Germany U21 squad early, Keke Topp has made a full return to fitness ahead of this weekend’s clash. Amos Pieper, who made his return to the pitch in a friendly with Preußen Münster during the international break, is also in contention and will travel with the squad to Mainz.
The head coach on the opposition: “We’re the last team to have gone to Mainz and won. This is a match between two teams who are on long unbeaten streaks and who are well drilled, even if there have been a lot more personnel changes at Mainz than at Werder. Despite this, their style of football has not changed much in comparison to last season. We need to be intensive, there won’t be many surprises in terms of how they set up or their tactics. It’s their intensity and quality and the way in which they implement their game plan which makes them such a good team.”
Previous meetings: This weekend’s meeting is just the 35th between SVW and the Zerofivers in the Bundesliga. Werder have won 16 of these matches, with Mainz emerging victorious on 11 occasions. SVW picked up six points from their two matches against Mainz last season, winning 4-0 at the Weserstadion thanks to goals from Marvin Ducksch, Jens Stage, Leonardo Bittencourt and Justin Njinmah, whilst Ducksch scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory at the MEWA Arena. Both of Ducksch’s goals against the Zerofivers came in the opening minutes of each game. Werder’s victory at Mainz in early February was the last time a team came to the MEWA Arena and won, with FSV going unbeaten at home since then.
Werder like winning in Mainz: 17 away fixtures against the Zerofivers have resulted in ten victories for the Green-Whites. Werder haven’t got a better record at any other opposition’s ground since Mainz gained promotion to the top flight in 2004. Mainz’s last of four home victories against Werder Bremen came four years ago.
