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

Pushing for a spot in the Bundesliga's top four, Hoffenheim will travel to take on struggling Werder Bremen at Weserstadion on Saturday.

Die Werderaner are looking for their first win in six top-flight games, while Die Kraichgauer could earn a third victory in five this weekend.

Match preview

Horst Steffen's Werder enjoyed a five-game unbeaten streak - that included three wins - between October and early November, but they closed out 2025 in dire form and will be desperate to use the New Year as a turning point.

Prior to the winter break, Die Werderaner followed up a 3-2 defeat against Hamburger and a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Stuttgart with a 0-0 stalemate on the road against Augsburg on December 20.

That draw left Steffen's side 10th in the table, where their tally of 17 points puts them nine behind Die Roten in sixth, and seven behind their opponents, Hoffenheim.

Hoping to get back on track in their opening league game of 2026, the hosts will take heart from the fact that they have lost just one of their last five matches at Weserstadion, winning three and drawing the other.

Victory on Saturday would be Werder's first since they downed Wolfsburg 2-1 on November 7 and could see them go level with ninth-placed Freiburg, though another defeat may be disastrous considering that Die Werderaner are only three points ahead of 15th-placed Augsburg.

© Imago

Meanwhile, Christian Ilzer's Hoffenheim finished 15th in 2024-25, but their impressive season so far has fans reminiscing on the European campaigns of years gone by.

Die Kraichgauer come into this clash having lost just one of their last nine Bundesliga outings, winning six and drawing two, and the high-flyers will be confident of kicking off 2026 in strong fashion.

Ilzer's men rounded off their 2025 calendar with a crucial six-pointer in the top-four race, earning a point in a 0-0 draw against Stuttgart on December 20.

While not fully satisfied with the result, avoiding defeat has Hoffenheim fifth in the top flight with 27 points, just two shy of fourth-placed RB Leipzig and third-placed Bayer Leverkusen.

Eyeing a Champions League spot this weekend, fans of the visitors will make the trip to Weserstadion with caution despite their team's commendable overall form, due to Die Kraichgauer's lacklustre away record that features only one win from their last five on the road. 

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

Hoffenheim Bundesliga form:

Team News

© Imago / STEINSIEK.CH

Werder have a lengthy absentee list to contend with this weekend, especially on the flanks, where they are missing left wing-back Felix Agu, right wing-back Mitchell Weiser and left-sided defender Maximilian Wober through injury, while winger Samuel Mbangula is a doubt with an ankle issue.

With that in mind, expect to see loanee Yukinari Sugawara on the right and Isaac Schmidt on the left, either side of midfielders Cameron Puertas, Senne Lynen and Jens Stage given that Leonardo Bittencourt is sidelined due to illness.

Up top, Steffen looks set to call upon a strike partnership of Justin Njinmah and Romano Schmid, with 19-year-old forward Salim Musah dealing with a thigh issue, and striker Victor Boniface working his way back from a long-term knee injury.

Elsewhere, goalkeeper Mio Backhaus is likely to be ready, but his eye injury could keep him out. If the shot-stopper is unavailable, then Karl Hein will take his place in the XI.

As for Hoffenheim, left-sided forward Bazoumana Toure is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, so Alexander Prass and Grischa Promel should start out wide, providing support for strikers Fisnik Asllani and Tim Lemperle.

At the opposite end of the pitch, centre-back Albian Hajdari is suspended, while fellow centre-half Koki Machida is out until May with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, though Robin Hranac and Ozan Kabak should be on hand to start on Saturday. 

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:

Backhaus; Pieper, Friedl, Coulibaly; Sugawara, Stage, Lynen, Puertas, Schmidt; Njinmah, Schmid

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:

Baumann; Coufal, Hranac, Kabak, Bernardo; Promel, Avdullahu, Burger, Prass; Lemperle, Asllani

We say: Werder Bremen 1-2 Hoffenheim

Werder were in poor form prior to the winter break, but their home record suggests that they could put up a fight this weekend.

However, European hopefuls Hoffenheim may prove too strong for the hosts, if Werder's recent 4-0 thrashing by Stuttgart is anything to go by.

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