Form: Comfortable in mid-table
After a difficult 2019/20 campaign, which ended with victory in the relegation play-off, survival was Bremen’s declared aim for this season. And despite the 4-0 defeat at Hoffenheim last Sunday, Werder are currently 12th in the table with a game in hand and a five-point cushion above the relegation play-off spot. The Green-Whites are also still in the DFB Cup, and visit Bundesliga 2 side SSV Jahn Regensburg in the quarter-finals next Tuesday.
| Werder Bremen 2020/21 | |
|---|---|
| Stats | 5 wins, 8 draws, 8 defeats, 24:31 goal difference, 23 points, 12th in the table |
| Form | L-W-D-D-L |
| Goalscorers | Bittencourt (4), Füllkrug (4), Möhwald (3), Selke (3), M. Eggestein (2), Sargent (2), Toprak (2), Agu (1), Dinkci (1), Gebre Selassie (1) |
Tactics: Defensive solidity
Coach Florian Kohfeldt switched up his tactics early on in the season, but in recent weeks has settled on a 3-5-2 or 3-4-1-2 formation.
Only five teams have conceded fewer goals than Werder this season, but there are also only five sides who have scored less. Although 54 per cent of clear-cut chances converted is the third-best rate in the Bundesliga, it has to be considered against the fact that they have only created 26 gilt-edged opportunities. In comparison, Eintracht have had 65 such chances so far, putting away 42 per cent of them.
One to watch: Leonardo Bittencourt
Leonardo Bittencourt has been playing for the Hanseatic club since September 2019, scoring 10 goals in his 51 competitive appearances to date. The 27-year-old is Bremen’s joint leading scorer this term with four goals, together with Niclas Füllkrug.
The attacking midfielder came through the youth system at Energie Cottbus before joining Borussia Dortmund in July 2012. Following a year at BVB, he moved to Hannover 96 and then had spells with 1. FC Köln and TSG Hoffenheim. He initially joined Bremen on loan in 2019 before signing permanently last summer.
