Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg seek victory for different reasons in crucial meeting

Relegation threatened Werder Bremen host Europa League chasing Wolfsburg in an intriguing Bundesliga clash on Sunday afternoon.

Bremen have been on a slight upturn in form since the league resumed having recorded two wins, one draw and two defeats in their first five matches back in action. They now lie three points adrift of the relegation playoff place and six points from safety.

Wolfsburg have managed two victories and two defeats in their first four matches since the resumption of the league. However, both victories came away from home so they will be looking to keep that 100 per cent win record going tomorrow when they travel to the Weserstadion.

Team news

The hosts will be without Kevin Möhwald, Claudio Pizarro and Nuri Şahin through knee, thigh and hip injuries respectively.

The visitors will be missing Renato Steffen through suspension and the injured Brazilian duo Paulo Otávio and William who are struggling with ankle and knee issues.

Home manager (Florian Kohfeldt)

“We’ve had 7 halves that have given plenty of cause for optimism, especially off the ball. That wasn’t the case in the second half against Frankfurt. But we’re stable enough to be able to build on all the other performances against Wolfsburg.

“All these midweek matches are good for our rhythm, we’ve dealt with them well physically. That’s not a problem for us, it’s our job. And there are plenty of worse things than having to play Bundesliga football every three, four days.”

Away manager (Oliver Glasner)

“We’ve watched Werder Bremen closely. They have a lot of quality in the squad, pace in attack and are very comfortable on the ball in midfield. We respect them but we’re going there to win. We need to show good spirit and a good team performance, and then we can bring the three points home.”

Head-to-head

In the last 28 league meetings between the two sides, it has been a very even fixture, with Werder Bremen earning 11 victories, Wolfsburg 10, and the sides playing out seven draws.

However, Wolfsburg haven’t won at Bremen since 2015, when they edged an eight goal thriller 5-3. Bremen will be hoping to keep that run going as they look to climb out of relegation trouble.