German Bundesliga - Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg - Preview & Prediction
By Valdis Pans
Battling to remain in the Bundesliga for another season, 17th-placed Werder Bremen will try to bounce back from Wednesday’s defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt with a better performance against 6th-placed Wolfsburg, who have dropped two of their past three decisions. Kick-off - at 7:30 AM ET on Sunday, June 7.
Bremen Lose To Frankfurt
Werder Bremen’s hopes of squeezing out of the relegation zone were dealt a serious blow after the team was beaten with a count of 3-0 by Eintracht Frankfurt at home at Wohninvest-Weserstadion on Wednesday. Davy Klaassen and Theodor Gebre Selassie came close to scoring for the Green-Whites in the first half, but allowed four goals in the following frame, with one of them cancelled out for offside, and two scored in the final 10 minutes of the game. Werder Bremen remain second-bottom in the league (W6 D7 L16), sitting two points off a relegation play-off spot and three below outright safety.
Kosovar attacking midfielder Milot Rashica leads the Green-Whites with seven strikes, but has failed to get on the scoreboard since netting against Bayern Munich on Dec. 14, going 14 league contests without a goal. Keeper Jiri Pavlenka, meanwhile, sits 4th in the Bundesliga in saves, having stopped 90 shots in 28 appearances this season. He has recorded four clean sheets and gives up a goal every 42 minutes on average. Werder Bremen are bottom of the league in most goals scored this year (30), 12th in most shots taken per game (12.4), 9th in ball possession (48.6%) and 7th in passing accuracy (78.7%).
Wolfsburg Get Beat By Frankfurt
Wolfsburg failed to continue their goalscoring form, which saw the team smash four strikes past top-four hopefuls Bayer Leverkusen in a 4-1 triumph on May 26, as the Wolves recorded their second defeat in the last three contests (W1 L2) following a 2-1 home loss against Eintracht Frankfurt at Volkswagen Arena on Saturday. Right-back Kevin Mbabu headed home Wolfsburg’s second-half equalizer before the visitors banked the winner with just five minutes remaining on the clock. It was only the second loss for the Wolves in their last 10 league outings (W5 D3 L2), with the team sitting 6th in Germany’s top division (W11 D9 L9), being on level points with 7th-placed Hoffenheim, but with a better goal differential.
Dutch striker Wout Weghorst tops Wolfsburg’s scoring chart with 11 strikes, but has converted just once in his last six Bundesliga contests. Goalie Koen Casteels, meanwhile, occupies the 17th place in the league in saves, having turned away 59 shots in 21 contests. He has picked up four clean sheets and allows a goal every 68 minutes on average. The Wolves have scored the 9th highest number of goals this season (41), while delivering the 5th highest quantity of shots per game (13.9). The team is 8th in ball possession (48.8%) and 14th in passing accuracy (75.6%).
Prediction
Neither team has done themselves any favors in their individual bids on opposite sides of the Bundesliga table lately. A three-game unbeaten run of Werder Bremen (W2 D1) came to an end with Wednesday’s 3-0 home defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, leaving the team in the relegation zone, while Wolfsburg’s recent inconsistency (W2 D2 L2) sees the Wolves in a close battle for a top-six finish with four other teams. Wolfsburg have managed to collect just two points in their last eight meetings with Werder Bremen (D2 L6), but will be facing a Green-Whites team, which has already lost eight of its past nine domestic fixtures in the Bundesliga (D1 L8), with the Wolves having gone unbeaten on their previous five league travels, winning four of them (W4 D1).
Best bet:
Wolfsburg to win (+100)