Werder Bremen vs Hoffenheim preview: Bonus midweek action

There’s not much of a chance of an upset, but you never quite know in the Bundesliga.

Werder Bremen

It’s about to be time to panic for Werder Bremen.

They were beaten once again this past weekend, extending their winless run to a damning eight games. It wasn’t the worst showing, to be fair, as Bremen travelled to Bayer Leverkusen and had promising spells. They were still second-best when all was said and done, and could’ve easily lost by more than the single goal.

That result and scores elsewhere sunk Werder into the thick of the relegation picture. They’re currently in 15th, one spot away from the relegation-playoff. Three points separates them and that place in the table, and the margin for error in terms of automatic relegation is only five points now.

It seemed like the Green-Whites had been good enough earlier in the campaign to avoid the fight for survival, but this woeful run has put them in danger again. Things aren’t going to get any easier with this match against the high-flying Hoffenheim, and Bayern Munich comes to town in a few weeks.

When manager Horst Steffen was hired in the summer, people knew it was going to be a process and that he would need time. However, he might already be running out of it. While the front office keeps trying to preach patience, they know that supporters are growing increasingly frustrated.

Bremen has seen what happens in the past if you wait too long to fire a struggling coach. You dig yourself into too deep of a hole, and you can’t get out before it’s too late. They’re playing a risky game, and it could end in disaster.

Losing to this Hoffenheim team wouldn’t lead to a firing, but it would put an incredible amount of pressure on the next few games. That’s why Werder will be desperate to get something from this contest. The good news is they’re at home, and a positive environment could be what they need to spring a shock result.

Then again, falling flat early on would only increase the anger of supporters, and the crowd could turn on their team. It’s scary hours for Die Werderaner, but a draw or even a win on Tuesday could prove huge come the end of the campaign.

Team news
Bremen’s defensive injury crisis is only getting worse. Mitchell Weiser, Felix Agu, Maximilian Wöber, and Niklas Stark were already out, and now Issac Schmidt is injured and Marco Friedl is suspended while Amos Pieper is a doubt. Victor Boniface is also unavailable long-term.

Predicted lineups
Backhaus, Sugawara, Pieper, Coulibaly, Deman, Lynen, Stage, Mbangula, Schmid, Njinmah, Milosevic

Hoffenheim

With all the things happening this year, the story of the Bundesliga season might just be Hoffenheim.

They ended last campaign in 15th place, and they were three points away from slipping into the relegation-playoff. Die Kraichgauer had become a lifeless side, a far cry from the previous versions that competed in European competitions. The hiring of new manager Christian Ilzer in November didn’t fix much.

That was until this season. Hoffenheim struggled a little out the blocks, but since then they’ve kicked into top gear and stayed there. The winter break did not halt their moment at all, even when their planned return versus Bremen was postponed.

The Blues immediately put four goals past Borussia Mönchengladbach before halftime, ultimately winning that matchup 5-1. They then hosted Bayer Leverkusen and kept a clean sheet to secure a 1-0 win. This past weekend saw them go down early away to Eintracht Frankfurt, but three goals in 13 minutes vaulted them to another victory.

It’s been a real team effort. Fisnik Asllani is having a breakout season in the top-flight, while veteran Andrej Kramaric continues to produce at a high level. The new signings have delivered too, with Wouter Burger shining and former West Ham reject Vladimir Coufal going through a career resurgence.

With the way Hoffenheim is playing, and the form of the opposition, they realize they are heavy favorites going into this midweek tie. However, they also know the dangers of not treating every contest seriously. They were surprisingly knocked out of the DFB Pokal by St Pauli, and another showing like that one could lead to the same result.

A win for Die Kraichgauer will further cement them in the Champions League race. They’re already in 3rd, and three points would close the gap between them and 2nd-place Borussia Dortmund to only three points. That’s going to be their only focus here.

Team news
Hoffenheim are without a few talents, namely Tim Lemperle, Koki Machida, Adam Hlozek, and Cole Campbell.

Predicted lineups
Baumann, Kabak, Hajdari, Bernardo, Coufal, Avdullahu, Burger, Prass, Kramaric, Moerstedt, Asllani