Free-falling Werder Bremen are still in danger of relegation as they prepare to host FC Koln in the penultimate round of Bundesliga matches on Saturday.
While the River Islanders have lost four of their last five games, the Billy Goats have won three of their previous four, setting up an intriguing battle at Weserstadion.
Match preview
© Reuters
Werder Bremen head into Saturday's showdown on the back of three successive 2-1 defeats, having suffered narrow losses to Schalke 04, Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig while achieving a combined total of five shots on target.
To make matters worse for Ole Werner's side, they have managed to win just one of their previous 10 matches, recording two draws and seven losses along the way, with five defeats coming in their last seven outings.
As a result, the River Islanders find themselves five points outside the bottom three with two games remaining, meaning that Werder Bremen could end up in the relegation zone if they keep losing and results elsewhere go against them.
Unfortunately for Werner's men, they possess the worst home record in the Bundesliga, having taken just 16 points from a possible 48 at Weserstadion this season, with 10 defeats coming in 16 home league games.
After losing each last four home clashes – and seven of their previous nine – Werder Bremen will be desperate to renew their top-flight status in front of their supporters, but FC Koln will be eager to spoil the party in Bremen.
© Reuters
The Billy Goats find themselves six points clear of Werder Bremen following a 5-2 thrashing of Hertha Berlin last weekend, with the hosts racking up a whopping 31 shots – 16 of which were on target – in a dominant display at RheinEnergieStadion.
That win followed a hugely impressive 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen a fortnight ago, as FC Koln ended Die Werkself's 14-game unbeaten streak thanks to a first-half brace from Davie Selke, who has now scored four goals in his last four outings.
Koln looked destined to drop into the relegation dogfight when they picked up a solitary victory in 11 matches between January and April, but Steffen Baumgart and his players have turned things around in recent weeks.
Indeed, the Billy Goats have lost only one of their last seven encounters, collecting four wins and two draws in the process, with three victories coming in their previous four games to eradicate any lingering relegation fears.
FC Koln have also secured three consecutive wins on the road, with 3-1 victories at Augsburg and Hoffenheim preceding the triumph at Bayer Leverkusen, so they will be confident of picking up another positive result this weekend.
Team News
© Reuters
Werder Bremen are still without long-term absentees Felix Agu, Marcel Hilssner and Dikeni Salifou, while key forward Niclas Fullkrug looks set to miss Saturday's clash due to a calf injury.
Having been absent from last weekend's defeat at RB Leipzig, Amos Pieper is also expected to miss the visit of Koln, meaning that Marco Friedl, Niklas Stark and Milos Veljkovic will continue at centre-back.
Bulgarian midfielder Ilia Gruev is expected to sit in front of the back three, enabling former Borussia Dortmund man Leonardo Bittencourt to join Marvin Ducksch and Romano Schmid in attack.
As for the visitors, Sebastian Andersson, Florian Dietz and Mark Uth have all been sidelined since 2022 through injury, although Koln have reported no fresh injury problems ahead of Saturday's match.
In-form striker Davie Selke will continue to lead the line, with Florian Kainz occupying an attacking midfield role, while centre-back Timo Hubers – who bagged a brace last time out – will continue in defence.
Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:
Pavlenka; Veljkovic, Stark, Friedl; Gruev; Weiser, Jung, Stage, Bittencourt; Schmid, Ducksch
FC Koln possible starting lineup:
Schwabe; Schindler, Hubers, Chabot, Hector; Skhiri, Martel; Ljubicic, Kainz, Maina; Selke
We say: Werder Bremen 1-2 FC Koln
While in-form FC Koln have won four of their last six matches to steer clear of relegation trouble, Werder Bremen have suffered seven defeats in 10 outings to remain in danger.
With that in mind, we expect the Billy Goats to notch a fourth successive away victory on Saturday, inflicting a fifth straight home defeat on the River Islanders in the process.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
