On Saturday evening, SV Werder Bremen will welcome fellow promotion-chasers SV Darmstadt 98 to the wohninvest WESERSTADION (20:30 CET), with both sides heading into the game level on points. Head coach Ole Werner will need to make several changes to the side following multiple injuries to the team. “I’m not someone to complain or moan about it. There’s no doubt that we will be missing several important players. Nonetheless, we will play our game and will try to bring it to the pitch,” he said.
The squad: Werner will be without six players this weekend. Ömer Toprak, Marco Friedl, Mitchell Weiser, Abdenego Nankishi and back-up goalkeeper Luca Plogmann are all out injured. Striker Marvin Ducksch has also tested positive for Covid-19. Despite the many absences, Werner was not letting that affect the course of the game: “We will have to replace a few players. This is the situation we’re in and we can either sit around and complain about it, or go out there and try to deliver the best possible performance, despite the circumstances.”
The head coach on the opponent: “We will be up against a side that have played well over the last weeks and that have been consistent all season. The team are strong in attack and solid at the back. However, they do look vulnerable at times. Our challenge will be to exploit those chances when we find them,” said Werner.
Previous meetings: SVW have faced Darmstadt on 12 previous occasions, with Werder winning five times (D4, L3). Earlier this season, Darmstadt celebrated a 3-0 win at home against the Green-Whites. “You always look back at the first meeting this season to see if you can draw any conclusions from how the game went. But, you also spend more time looking at their recent results because those are more current. There have been lots of changes at both teams over the last six months,” said Werner.
The table: The current situation in the table going into the game couldn’t be more exciting. Both teams are level on points with 48 apiece, with Darmstadt sitting top on goal difference and Werder back in third.
Strong at home vs. Darmstadt: The Green-Whites have never lost a competitive fixture at home against Darmstadt (W4, D2), scoring 21 goals across these six games.
Solid when facing set pieces: SVW have conceded just eight goals from set pieces this season – the second fewest in the league. Darmstadt, meanwhile, have let in a league high 16 goals from set pieces.
Stats compiled by WERDER.DE and Opta
