Preview: Werder Bremen vs Freiburg - prediction, team news, lineups

Werder Bremen have become a mean, green, goalscoring machine this season, and they will be looking to continue that trend when they welcome Freiburg to the Weserstadion this Saturday afternoon.

Die Werderaner have scored seven goals across their last two Bundesliga matches, while the Breisgau Brazilians also let loose last weekend, netting three against last season’s DFB Pokal winners VfB Stuttgart.

Match preview

Having developed a reputation for being Bundesliga’s regular mid-table residents over the last decade and a half, Werder Bremen supporters have not had much to shout about in recent times.

However, that is certainly not the case in the early weeks of this new season, with manager Horst Steffen leading Die Werderaner to a wild start.

Losing 4-1 away at Eintracht Frankfurt on the opening weekend of the campaign was bitterly disappointing, but the club quickly bounced back with a 3-3 draw against Bayer Leverkusen – a match which saw a 10-man Bremen score two late goals to seal a thrilling draw.

There was more drama after the international break, with the club thrashing Borussia Monchengladbach 4-0 away from home – their first competitive away win of that size since their 5-1 thumping of Paderborn five years ago.

With Bremen having absolutely no issues when it comes to scoring goals, they will be hoping to continue that run this Saturday afternoon.

Freiburg, meanwhile, are heading into the weekend on the back of a hugely impressive 3-1 victory over Stuttgart – their first league win of the new season.

The Breisgau Brazilians desperately needed that result after kicking off their campaign with a couple of heavy defeats.

Freiburg opened their account with a surprise 3-1 defeat at home against Augsburg before losing 4-1 away at FC Koln just a few days later – not a start you would expect from a side which finished fifth last term.

Julian Schuster, who has been the head coach since Christian Streich’s departure in March 2024, has certainly made a positive impression in what is his first senior managerial gig.

However, with Europa League duties just around the corner, Schuster will be determined to build some much-needed momentum – starting with Saturday’s game against Werder Bremen.

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

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Werder Bremen form (all competitions):

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Freiburg Bundesliga form:

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Freiburg form (all competitions):

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Team News

Victor Boniface made his first appearance for Werder Bremen last weekend as he came off the bench and produced an assist during the 4-0 win at Monchengladbach.

The Bayer Leverkusen loanee will now be looking to make his first start, though recent reports suggest he still has a long way to go before reaching full fitness.

Midfielder Olivier Deman remains on the sidelines with an ankle injury, and the 25-year-old is not expected to return until November.

Argentinian Julian Malatini is out with an ankle injury, while Niklas Stark (hip), Mitchell Weiser (knee) and Maximilian Wober (thigh) are also on the absentee list.

Freiburg, on the other hand, are still without Daniel-Kofi Kyereh; the midfielder has been out of action for the last two years, though the 29-year-old is expected to make his much-anticipated return within the next few weeks.

Johan Manzambi, meanwhile, is suspended for Saturday’s fixture after picking up a red card during last weekend’s win over Stuttgart.

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup: Backhaus; Sugawara, Coulibaly, Friedl, Agu; Stage, Lynen; Schmid, Puertas, Mbangula; Grull

Freiburg possible starting lineup: Atubolu; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo; Eggestein, Osterhage; Beste, Holer, Grifo; Matanovic

We say: Werder Bremen 3-2 Freiburg

Both these clubs have been involved in high-scoring encounters during the early weeks of the Bundesliga season – that is a trend which we expect to continue.

In terms of picking a winner, we are backing the hosts. Bremen are full of confidence, and they will be determined to continue their momentum this weekend.

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