Verdict: Away win
Best odds: 4/7
Bookmaker: Betfair
Werder will be playing host to Borussia Dortmund at the Wesserstadion in the 12th round of the 2020/21 Bundesliga season on Tuesday evening, for a game in which both sides will be hoping to turn the recent fortunes around.
Werder Bremen
Having lost three matches on the trot – 5-3 away to Wolfsburg, 1-2 at home against VfB Stuttgart and 2-0 away to RB Leipzig, Werder currently sit in 13th place in the Bundesliga table with 11 points to their name from as many matches. The feeling of woe among their supporters will have been further increased by the fact that they’ve failed to win any of their last eight matches. Their last six results in the league were three draws and three defeats. It should, perhaps, be said in their defence that one of those draws came against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
As for their game against Leipzig on Saturday, Florian Kohfeldt’s side managed only one shot on target throughout the contest and they never looked like troubling Peter Gulacsi in the home team’s goal. They were second-best in practically everything throughout the contest and they can hardly have any complaints about the final scoreline, as goals from Marcel Sabitzer from the spot in the 26th minute and Dani Olmo’s strike in the 41st made sure the points stayed in Leipzig.
Team News
Werder will be without forwards Milot Rashica, Niclas Fulkrug and David Selke for this game, which means Joshua Sargent is set to lead the line again and hope for more help from his teammates than he had in their previous outing.
Borussia Dortmund
If we’re talking about poor results from the previous round, Dortmund suffered a humiliating 1-5 defeat at their Signal Iduna Park at the hands of Stuttgart, which prompted the club to sack head coach Lucien Favre. Assistant manager Edin Terzic will now be taking over on an interim basis for the rest of the season, unless a permanent solution is found sooner than that.
The pressure on Favre for his team to deliver a good result was strong ahead of the Stuttgart match, following the 1-2 defeat at home to FC Koln and a 1-1 draw against Eintracht in Frankfurt, and it appears to have done more harm than anything good. The 63-year-old Swiss tactician had two full seasons in charge of the team and failed to put in a proper title challenge in either of them.
Dortmund are now fifth with 19 points, six less than Bayer Leverkusen in the lead and two less than Wolfsburg in fourth. Their last-six record in all competitions reads two wins, two draws and two defeats.
As for the Champions League, Favre’s team did very well, finishing the group stage top of Group F, ahead of Lazio, Club Brugge and Zenit St Petersburg. They’ve been drawn to face Spanish side Sevilla in the round of 16.
Team News
In his first game in charge of the team, Terzic will have to make do without striker Erling Haaland, who is out for the rest of the year, as well as winger Thorgan Hazard and right-back Thomas Meunier who are both suffering with muscle issues. Left-back Marcel Schmelzer is still recovering from a knee surgery, while midfielder Thomas Delaney has a back problem.
Conclusion
This match is set to be an extremely difficult one for both sides. Werder are arguably in a poorer form, but Dortmund players will have been shaken up by Favre’s sacking. However, there’s no way to tell which way the club’s decision to send the coach packing will affect their motivation at this point – it could turn to their advantage if the players realize they have to work harder than before to prove a point to their supporters, as well as the new boss.
Verdict: Away win
Best odds: 4/7
Bookmaker: Betfair
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