Werder Bremen vs Freiburg preview: A potentially fun contest at the Weserstadion | OneFootball

Werder Bremen

The vibes are good at Werder Bremen this week.

Their last match went incredibly well, as they travelled to Borussia Mönchengladbach and ran out 4-0 winners. Oddly enough it wasn’t the best performance from them, but they were clinical when it mattered most.

Samuel Mbangula got the scoring started early on, slamming a shot off the crossbar and in. He then assisted the returning Jens Stage, who got the ball in the box before turning and slotting home from close range.

A Felix Agu goalline clearance prevented them from losing their two-goal advantage with 20 minutes to go. Werder put the game away shortly after, with Romano Schmid converting a penalty kick. Justin Njinmah came off and added one more to the tally, for good measure.

It was a dream day for new manager Horst Steffen, who secured his first Bundesliga victory, and first competitive win for his current club. They scored plenty, and they still succeeded in keeping a clean sheet, the first for academy graduate Mio Backhaus.

The nicest thing was the club’s recent signings doing well. Cameron Puertas had a promising shift from the start, while Victor Boniface grabbed an assist during his cameo at the end. If those two can keep rolling, they’ll bring even more attacking prowess to this Green-White side.

Bremen return home this Saturday, and they’ll have a tough test ahead of them in Freiburg. However, another big win would send supporters into a party mood, and they’ll really start dreaming about what this season might bring.

Team newsThe likes Julian Malatini, Maximilian Wöber, Olivier Deman, Niklas Stark, and Mitchell Weiser are all confirmed to be out for the contest, while there’s real concerns with Yukinari Sugawara and Samuel Mbangula, who are doubtful through injury.

Predicted XIBackhaus, Schmidt, Coulibaly, Freidl, Agu, Lynen, Stage, Njinmah, Schmid, Puertas, Boniface

Freiburg

It’s been an odd start to the campaign for Freiburg.

Despite having a very strong season last time out, the Black Forest outfit found themselves down 3-0 at home to Augsburg on opening day. They pulled one back, but the hole they dug themselves was too deep, and they were deservedly beaten.

Things got even worse the week after. They went down 4-0, this time to newly promoted FC Köln. Freiburg did get a goal on this occasion as well, but this one mattered even less. It was another woeful showing, and it felt like it was almost time to panic.

When Die Breisgau-Brasilianer went behind versus Stuttgart in week three, everything was looking bad. That was the case until the 81st minute, when they finally found an equalizer through Igor Matanović. The floodgates blew open. They jumped in front five minutes later, and then another Matanović goal five minutes after that secured a much-needed victory.

That win serves as a major sigh of relief. While no one expects them to ever fall into a relegation battle, Freiburg are aiming to stay in European contention. Zero points from three games would’ve been a hammer blow to those hopes.

Now, they’ll feel like a win this weekend will put them right back on track. It won’t be easy, and if they play like they did in their first two games then they’ll likely find themselves down a few goals again. However, if they can rediscover their form from last season, then they could absolutely clinch another three points here.

Team newsFortunately for Freiburg they have almost everyone to choose from. Daniel-Kofi Kyereh is the only name who’s hurt, while Johan Manzambi is suspended.

Predicted XIAtubolu, Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo, Eggestein, Hofler, Beste, Osterhage, Grifo, Matanovic