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

Werder Bremen will be looking to continue their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga when they welcome Wolfsburg to the Weserstadion this Friday night.

The River Islanders have not tasted defeat in over two months, while the Wolves are down in the dumps after enduring a woeful run of results.

Match preview

Horst Steffen made a bold career move when he swapped a rapidly improving SV Elversberg side for Werder Bremen in the summer, though his risky decision appears to be paying off.

The Werder Bremen head coach certainly had concerns at the start of the season as his men lost four of their first six competitive matches – including some heavy defeats against the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt, Freiburg and Bayern Munich.

The turnaround for the River Islanders came in October, with wins over St Pauli and Union Berlin dragging the team up the Bundesliga ladder.

As things stand, Werder Bremen are sitting in a comfortable ninth place and boast a four-match unbeaten run – something they have not experienced since their impressive eight-match streak without defeat last spring.

Steffen and his men will now be setting their sights on a third straight win at the Weserstadion as they look to continue their impressive run of form.

While Bremen are flying, Wolfsburg are rapidly going in the opposite direction following a disastrous run of six defeats from seven games across all competitions.

Head coach Paul Simonis, who joined the club from Go Ahead Eagles over the summer, made a decent start to his new job after picking up five points from his opening three Bundesliga matches.

Since then, results have fallen off a cliff for the Wolves, who have not only lost six of their last seven but also failed to score a single goal in four of those fixtures.

Their only win during this woeful run came at the expense of newly promoted Hamburger SV, who are still struggling to adjust to life in the top tier following their long-awaited promotion.

Wolfsburg’s latest defeat took place last Sunday as the team endured a 3-2 home reverse to Hoffenheim – their fourth straight loss in front of their own fans.

All three of Wolfsburg’s wins this season have come away from home, while four of their last five visits to the Weserstadion have ended in victories – two stats which will undoubtedly fill the visitors with a bit of confidence.

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

Werder Bremen form (all competitions):

Wolfsburg Bundesliga form:

Wolfsburg form (all competitions):

Team News

Werder Bremen’s summer signing Maximilian Wober is yet to feature in the Bundesliga this season as he continues to battle with his hamstring injury, though his return is slowly creeping into view.

Fellow defender Felix Agu has missed the last three matches with an ankle injury, and he is expected to remain on the sidelines this Friday night.

Olivier Deman and Mitchell Weiser are the two other names on the injury list, with the duo struggling with ankle and knee problems.

Victor Boniface is yet to find the back of the net since joining the River Islanders on loan from Bayer Leverkusen – despite this, he is expected to lead Bremen’s attack.

Wolfsburg, on the other hand, remain without defender Rogerio, who has not made a competitive appearance since March 2024.

The Brazilian went back home in recent weeks to complete his rehabilitation from a muscle injury, as fans continue to await his return.

American midfielder Kevin Paredes has also been on the sidelines for a long time, nursing a foot injury which is likely to keep him out of action for another few weeks.

Joakim Maehle missed last weekend’s loss to Hoffenheim due to a shoulder injury, while Kilian Fischer has missed the last three games with an ankle problem.

Jesper Lindstrom, meanwhile, remains on the sidelines with an ongoing groin issue.

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:

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

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:

Grabara; Kumbedi, Jenz, Koulierakis, Zehnter; Arnold, Vinicius; Daghim, Eriksen, Wimmer; Amoura

We say: Werder Bremen 2-0 Wolfsburg

Werder Bremen have a poor recent record against Wolfsburg, but considering where both teams are at this moment, we are expecting the current trend to change.

The hosts have been particularly strong at the Weserstadion, keeping back-to-back clean sheets. We are backing them to make it a hat-trick on Friday night.

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