Preview:RB Leipzig vs Werder Bremen - prediction, team news, lineups

RB Leipzig will be hunting for their eighth Bundesliga victory of the season when they welcome Werder Bremen to the Red Bull Arena this Sunday afternoon.

The fixture will be a special one for Leipzig head coach Ole Werner, who managed Bremen for over three years before jumping ship.

Match preview

Instead of entering November’s international break with a four-match winning run under their belts, RB Leipzig stewed on a frustrating 3-1 defeat to Hoffenheim for over a fortnight.

Die Roten Bullen will now be looking to unleash their frustrations and set the record straight against a plucky Werder Bremen outfit this weekend.

One man who knows all about the River Islanders is their former head coach, Werner.

The 37-year-old managed Bremen for over three years, winning promotion to the Bundesliga before establishing the side in the top tier over the next couple of campaigns.

A contract dispute ultimately led to an acrimonious dismissal, though Werner was able to find new employment with Leipzig – a change which seems to have worked out well for the head coach.

Under his leadership, Leipzig have won seven of their 10 league matches this season and enter this latest matchday placed second in the standings.

Bremen replaced Werner with former Elversberg head coach Horst Steffen, giving him his first crack at a Bundesliga managerial gig.

The 56-year-old has certainly stepped up to the challenge, leading Bremen to 15 points from their opening 10 matches – a run which keeps the club in touching distance of European places.

The international break came at a bad time for the River Islanders, who were beginning to build serious momentum in the competition.

Bremen are currently unbeaten in five games and have picked up three victories during this run – including a 2-1 success over Wolfsburg last time out.

The away side have not beaten Leipzig in 11 previous meetings, but with a bit of momentum under their wings, Bremen will be hoping to change that.

RB Leipzig Bundesliga form:

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RB Leipzig form (all competitions):

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Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

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Team News

The hosts will be without the injured trio of Benjamin Henrichs (Achilles), Viggo Gebel (ACL) and El Chadaille Bitshiabu (muscle).

On top of that, Romulo is a doubt for Sunday’s game, with the player reportedly experiencing discomfort in his knee and facing a late fitness test.

Castello Jr has recovered from his shoulder problem and is available for selection, while Kevin Kampl is set to miss out due to personal reasons.

Werder Bremen, meanwhile, have no fresh injuries ahead of the trip to Leipzig this weekend.

Nevertheless, the team are still missing a number of players due to long-term injuries, including Mitchell Weiser (torn cruciate ligament), Maximilian Wober (muscle), and Felix Agu (ligament).

Olivier Deman is also expected to remain on the sidelines despite recently returning to team training following his injury problems.

RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:

Gulacsi; Baku, Orban, Castello, Raum; Ouedraogo, Seiwald, Baumgartner; Diomande, Romulo, Nusa

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:

Backhaus; Sugawara, Pieper, Coulibaly, Friedl; Stage, Lynen; Grull, Schmid, Mbangula; Boniface

We say: RB Leipzig 2-1 Werder Bremen

RB Leipzig boast a perfect home record in the Bundesliga, and we expect Werner’s men to continue that trend this weekend.

While Werder Bremen are in good form, Leipzig possess more quality in the team, and they should be able to get the job done in front of their home fans.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.