Werder Bremen’s need to bring about an uptick in their form might suffer another blow when they take on table toppers Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Daniel Thioune is under increasing pressure despite only taking over as manager on February 4, as he has a task to bring the best out of this Werder Bremen side, and the task only gets tougher this weekend against Bayern Munich. With his side very close to the relegation zone, the new boss will hope for an upturn in form moving forward.
Werder Bremen are currently on the longest winless streak in the Bundesliga, having failed to clinch a victory in 11 outings heading into the weekend, and not scoring in seven of those. While they struggled against ten-man SC Freiburg last time out and lost the game with a 1-0 scoreline, they have their task cut out ahead of their next game, as they host the formidable Bayern Munich side.
Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany is ready to take on the challenge of a title race that could get tighter if results have a topsy-turvy nature to it. Following a few dropped points in recent weeks, the Bavarian giants have seen their big lead cut to just six points as things stand.
Last weekend, they managed to secure a comprehensive result against Hoffenheim with a 5-1 scoreline, and then progressed into the DFB Pokal semi-finals with a victory over RB Leipzig in the quarter-finals. Now, Kompany must maneuver a tricky period, as the next few games, including this visit to Bremen, might be categorised as a must-win in some regards.
Team News & Tactics
Werder Bremen
Daniel Thioune will once again enter another matchday with a long list of absentees and a thin squad to choose from. Chief among them is key attacker Victor Boniface, who continues to experience an extended period on the sidelines with a knee injury.
Defenders Amos Pieper and Niklas Stark are also on the list, while Julian Malatini, Marco Friedl, and Karim Coulibaly could feature in the back three for Werder Bremen. There are further doubts surrounding Mitchell Weiser, Maximilian Wober, Olivier Deman, and Leonardo Bittencourt, which does leave the manager with limited options.
Jens Stage will sit at the base of the Werder Bremen midfield, with Romano Schmid and Senne Lynen on either side of him. Meanwhile, in the absence of Boniface, Keke Topp will lead the line for Werder Bremen against Bayern Munich, with Justin Njinmah as his partner in the front two.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Backhaus; Malatini, Friedl, Coulibaly; Sugawara, Schmid, Stage, Lynen, Agu; Njinmah, Topp
Bayern Munich
Vincent Kompany has contrasting fortunes compared to the hosts. Michael Olise is the only absentee for this clash, with the French internatioanl missing out with a suspension. Given the minimal problems facing the Belgian coach, he has the luxury of selecting his strongest side for this clash.
Lennart Kart could be in line to replace the suspended Olise, while Kompany could make some rotations, which could see Jonathan Tah starting alongside Kim Min-jae at the heart of the defence, while Josip Stanisic and Alphonso Davies will reprise the full-back roles.
Kompany will probably use Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka in the double pivot in the middle fo the park, while Jamal Musiala, Harry Kane, and Luis Diaz will all feature in the attacking setup alongside Karl.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Stanisic, Tah, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Karl, Musiala, Diaz; Kane
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich have won their last 18 away matches against Werder Bremen in all competitions.
- Bayern Munich have scored at least two goals in 28 of their last 29 matches in the Bundesliga.
- Werder Bremen have failed to win their last 11 Bundesliga games, the longest of all German top-flight outfits.
- Bremen have failed to score in seven of their last 11 Bundesliga games, and conceded at least two goals in six of their encounters.
Plauyer to Watch
Lennart Karl
The return of Musiala is not good news for Karl, who has seen his game time reduce to a certain degree, given that the two players play in a similar position. However, it is up to the teenager to keep himself sharp on occasions where he has to replace another attacker in the team, and he might do so against Werder Bremen by coming in for Michael Olise.
These are games that Karl must take by the scruff of the neck to showcase his talent and importance to Vincent Kompany. A top-notch display against Bremen might put the idea in the head coach to rotate his team with Karl regularly, while the teenager should itch at the chance of impressing when given a start.
Prediction
Werder Bremen 0-5 Bayern Munich
A 5-0 scoreline is not out of the ordinary for Bayern Munich, given how strong they are in terms of quality and form. It was not so long ago that they put as many goals past Hoffenheim, but given how badly Werder Bremen are performing at the moment, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the Bavarians could hand another thrashing.
The hosts need to improve their form, and while the most optimistic of their fans will dream of a big upset, that might not be the case. A team like Bayern Munich will expose the objective frailties in the team, and this result is expected to go Kompany’s way with a massive scoreline.
