Hoffenheim vs Werder Bremen preview: Two teams with very different aspirations | OneFootball

Hoffenheim

Last weekend was Hoffenheim’s biggest chance to earn Champions League football for next season.

They had a true six-pointer, as they hosted VfB Stuttgart with the two sides level on points in 4th place. What unfolded in front of viewers was a classic affair. 

Hoffenheim jumped in front after only seven minutes, and then the teams both grabbed a goal within the span of five minutes later on. Things were looking really good when Andrej Kramaric secured a brace moments into the second half. 

Although Stuttgart pulled one back via Ermedin Demirovic, they found themselves down a man following the dismissal of Atakan Karazor. TSG had it all in their hands at that point, ahead in the game while at home and having an extra player. They blew it.

Some bad defending led to a mess in the box, and Tiago Tomás was on hand to convert a rebound from close range in stoppage time. Just like that Hoffenheim’s advantage in the top four race was gone. Now they will need to be perfect down the stretch and get some help.

Hoffenheim have two winnable yet tricky contests, this one and then a final day trip to Borussia Mönchengladbach. Stuttgart, meanwhile, are at home against Bayer Leverkusen before going on the road to take on Eintracht Frankfurt. That’s a tough pair of matchups.

Die Kraichgauer will like their chances of a late-season rise, but they know they cannot afford to drop any more points. If they play to the level they know they can, then the team should be absolutely fine. However, a bad day at the office could not only cost them this weekend, but it could cost them their entire campaign.

Pressure makes diamonds. 

Team news

Things aren’t too bad on the injury front for Hoffenheim, as their absences are Kelven Frees, Koki Machida, and Valentin Gendrey.

Predicted lineups

Baumann, Coufal, Kabak, Hajdari, Bernardo, Burger, Avdullaho, Kramaric, Asllani, Toure, Lemperle

Werder Bremen

While Werder Bremen didn’t help themselves last weekend, they did get assistance elsewhere. 

Bremen hosted Augsburg, and it was exactly what you would’ve expected from the contest. The visitors sat back, absorbed pressure, and hit on the counter. They opened the scoring through Anton Kade midway through the half before he nothced a second right before the break.

To Werder’s credit, they made a few massive changes and took control of proceedings, creating chance after chance. Finally, after 20 minutes, Romano Schmid halved the deficit. They had all the momentum and plenty of time. Five minutes later Augsburg scored again to restore their advantage. That was the day done.

That meant the Green-Whites were still in the relegation picture, but results the next day all but secured safety for them. First St. Pauli were beaten at home by Mainz, and then Wolfsburg were held to a draw away to Freiburg. That made the picture clear.

Bremen are in 15th, the last completely safe position in the table. Meanwhile, St. Pauli and Wolfsburg are both six points behind with two games to go, and they play each other on the final day. That means Werder only needs a single point to officially secure safety, or to have both teams fail to win each of their last two. Even if that happens with Pauli they’ll have to overcome a decent goal differential difference. 

So, Die Werderaner will likely have their fates sealed this weekend no matter what happens in their game, but their aim is still going to be clinching survival themselves. It will be a tough ask, as Hoffenheim might be their biggest bogey team. They’ve only beaten them once since the pandemic. 

History is made to be broken, though, and knowing how strange this Bremen season has been, don’t be stunned if they manage to steal some sort of result.

Team news

Werder will be without the likes of Karl Hein, Keke Topp, Mitchell Weiser, Julian Malatini, and Leonardo Bittencourt, while Felix Agu and Marco Friedl are doubts for the contest. 

Predicted lineups

Backhaus, Sugawara, Pieper, Coulibaly, Deman, Puertas, Lynen, Stage, Schmid, Njinmah, Grull