Werder Bremen vs FC Köln preview: A true midtable clash | OneFootball

Werder Bremen

It had been a good run, but Werder Bremen’s unbeaten streak came to an end this past weekend.

Far from the worst game to lose, Bremen were defeated away to 2nd place RB Leipzig. The contest was a close one in the early stages, as the host controlled most of the ball and the pace of play while the opposition dropped back in an attempt to limit space.

A moment of magic broke things open at the hour mark, as 19-year-old Forzan Assan Ouedraogo rifled the ball into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area. It was a deserved goal, but what was ironic was that Werder were better to start the second half.

Leipzig sealed the win with 10 minutes to go. Xaver Schlager positioned himself well on a corner, winning the second ball before turning and having his shot deflect off a defender and past a helpless goalkeeper. They held on during the final stretches will relative ease.

For the Green-Whites, they’re back to the drawing board. While they had gotten results, their performances hadn’t been great. They were surviving. There’s now a real pressure to start truly playing better, and getting more out of the team.

It will be interesting to see the lineup Horst Steffen starts with. Victor Boniface and Samuel Mbangula were benched once again, but surely that won’t be the case this time as well? Captain Marco Friedl is still being shoehorned in at left-back, which just isn’t working anymore.

Bremen are still genuine candidates for a European place. However, they will have to win games like this one if they want to stay in the race for the rest of the season.

Team news

It’s the same story for Werder in terms of their fullbacks, with Maximilian Wöber, Olivier Deman, Felix Agu, and Mitchell Weiser all out injured, plus center back Julian Malatini.

Predicted lineups

Backhaus, Sugawara, Pieper, Friedl, Schmidt, Lynen, Stage, Grüll, Mbangula, Puertas, Boniface

Köln

The past few weeks have been tough for Köln, but they’re still in a pretty good spot.

Sat a single point behind Werder in 10th place, the recently-promoted side aren’t really close to flirting with relegation. They are seven points ahead of the bottom three, and they beat fellow new-boys Hamburg recently too.

Köln made a wonderful start to the campaign, but they’ve slipped up a bit. First was a tough defeat away to Borussia Mönchengladbach. It was 3-0 before the 65th minute, despite the hosts having a horror spell before then.

Following the international break The Billy Goats took on Eintracht Frankfurt. Things looked better early on, with Jakub Kaminski opening the scoring in the 4th minute. However, that was the best it would get. Frankfurt scored four unanswered, all coming before the 65th minute once again.

Those results have brought Köln back down to earth. They know very well how quickly things can change, and an extended spell without a win will see them right back in the thick of the fight for survival. Then again, securing a victory away in a tough spot like Bremen will inject the team with confidence, and keep the European dream alive.

Let’s see what Effzeh is really made of.

Team news

Köln will be without a few key names, like Joel Schmied, Luca Kilian, Timo Hübers, and Malek El Mala

Predicted lineups

Schwabe, Sebulonsen, Ozkacar, Heintz, Hansen, Johannesson, Martel, Huseinbasic, Kainz, Ache, Kaminski