We have prepared for you another German Bundesliga double match preview that will be played on Sunday. The league schedule is entering its finale with only five rounds left and it’s a live or die time for many teams. First match-up that we will look at is the one in Bremen between the host and Hamburger SV and the second one is the encounter between Darmstadt and FC Schalke 04 at Jonathan-Heimes-Stadion. Let’s take a closer look.
WERDER BREMEN vs. HAMBURGER SV
3-Way: 1: Werder Bremen +131; X: +262 Draw; 2: Hamburger SV +242
Spread -0.5: Werder Bremen +129; Hamburger SV -133
Total +2.5: Over -116; Under +112
SV WERDER BREMEN
The Werder Bremen is very hot lately in the German Bundesliga as they are undefeated in last eight games. If they were playing like this in the first two thirds of the season they would definitely be in the position to fight for one of the spots that lead to the European competitions next year. Since that wasn’t the case, they currently rank 11th in the league table with 36 points in 28 games.
They are 6-2-0 in last eight games and 3-0-1 in the last four home matches including the last three consecutive wins over Darmstadt, RB Leipzig and Schalke 04 with no goals conceded. At home, Werder is 6-1-7 with 21-18 goal difference (44-48 overall) and they rank 12th in the home league table with 19 of 42 possible points earned. 75% of their matches are over 2.5 goals (79% at home) but 93% of their home matches are under 3.5 goals in total. Most common result at home is a 1:2 loss (occurred five times).
Serge Gnabry tops the team in scoring this season with 10 goals so far while Max Kruse has eight in his account. Zlatko Junuzovic is top assister with five while Niklas Moisander tops the passing segment with 795 total passes. Goalies Felix Wiedwald (19 games played) and Jaroslav Drobny (10 games played) have 101 saves and five games with clean sheets combined.
Luca Caldirola (broken foot), Eric Oelschlagel (elbow), Johannes Eggstein (foot, illness), and Clemens Fritz (ankle) are all out for the season. Thomas Delaney (muscle) and Izet Hajrovic (cruciate ligament) should be ready in couple of weeks while Robert Bauer (ankle) is back in training. Philipp Bargfede (achilles tendon, knee), Serge Gnabry (thigh, knee) and Ludovic Sane (groin) all have light injuries but are doubtful for Sunday game.
HAMBURGER SV
The Hamburger SV still hasn’t secured the survival in the German Bundesliga and for them every game before the season end will be crucial. Currently they rank 13th with 33 points in 28 games and they are only four points above the relegation line. HSV is 4-2-2 in the last eight games and they are 1-1-2 in the last four road games. They are pretty poor team on the road this season as 73% of their total points have been earned in front of their home crowd. 2-3-9 is their away record this season with 10-29 goal difference (28-51 overall) and they rank 17th in the road league table with 9 of 42 possible points earned. 57% of their road games are over 2.5 goals but 64% of their away matches are under 3.5 goals in total. Most common result on the toad is a 3:1 loss (occurred three times).
Nicolai Muller and Bobby Wood lead the team in scoring so far with five goals each. Muller also collected team-high six assists while Lewis Holtby has four. The passing segment leaders are defenders Mergim Mavraj and Gotoku Sakai with 730 and 695 total passes. Goalkeepers Rene Adler (19 games) and Christian Mathenia (9 games) have 73 saves and seven games with clean sheets combined.
Kyriakos Papadopoulos is suspended for the next match while Nicolai Muller (knee) and Albin Ekdal (thigh) should be back in mid May. Bobby Shou Wood (knee), Andreas Hirzel (shoulder, muscle) and Mats Kohlert (muscle) have unspecified dates of return while Johan Djorou (muscle) should be available in few days. Gideon Jung (thigh) and Bakery Jatta (illness) are doubtful for Sunday while Nabil Bahoui (shoulder) and Rene Adler (broken rib) are back in training.
Werder is on a streak but HSV needs points. My prediction here is a draw with both teams scoring at least one goal.
MY PICK: Draw X (+262)
Additional Pick: Over 2.5 goals (-116)
DARMSTADT FC vs. FC SCHALKE 04
3-Way: 1: Darmstadt FC +520; X: +309 Draw; 2: FC Schalke 04 -137
Spread +0.5: Darmstadt +131; Schalke -141
Total +2.5: Over -120; Under +118
DARMSTADT FC
The Darmstadt FC is ranked last in the German Bundesliga league table with only 15 points in 28 games. They are 14 points below the relegation line and Zweite Bundesliga play next season is almost certain.
They are 1-0-7 in last eight games including last four consecutive defeats and they are 2-0-2 in last four home games. At home they are 4-3-7 with 13-22 goal difference (19-56 overall) and they rank 16th in the home league table with 15 of 42 possible points earned. 100 % of their total points have been earned at home as they have 14 defeats in the same number of games on the road. 57% of their home matches are under 2.5 goals and 79% of their home games are under 3.5 goals in total. Most common result at home is a 0:2 loss (occurred three times).
Antonio Colak tops the team in scoring with four goals while Jerome Gondorf collected team-high three assists. Gondorf and Fabian Holland top the passing segment with 478 and 509 total passes. Goalies Michael Esser (24 games) and Daniel Fernandes (4 games) have 84 saves and two games with clean sheets combined.
Leading scorer Colak is suspended for the next match while Dominik Stroh-Engel (virus), Terrence Boyd (ankle), Mario Vrancic (calf), Jerome Gondorf (ankle) and Sidney Sam (thigh) all have minor injuries but are listed as doubtful for Sunday. Peter Niemeyer (Achilles tendon) should be available in few days.
FC SCHALKE 04
The FC Schalke 04 is another team with a disappointing season in the German Bundesliga this year. Team that ended at the No. 5 spot last year and played the Europa League this season is currently ranked 10th with 37 points in 28 games.
European competitions spot is a long shot now but it might happen if they buckle up and all three points against the league worst team is a must. Team from Gelsenkirchen is 3-3-2 in the last eight games and 1-1-2 in the last four home matches. They are 2-4-7 on the road this season with 10-19 goal difference (37-32 overall) and they rank 14th in the road league table with only 10 of 39 possible points earned. 62% of their away matches are under 2.5 goals and 92% of their road games are under 3.5 goals in total. Most common result on the road is a 2:1 loss and 1:1 draw (both occurred three times).
Guido Burgstaller leads the team in scoring with six goals while Nabil Bentaleb, Leon Goretzka and Alessandro Schopf have five each in their accounts. Sead Kolasinac tops the team in assists with five while Benedikt Howedes tops the passing segment with 1250 total passes. Goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann played in every league game this season and he has 60 saves and eight clean sheet games so far.
Matija Nastasic is suspended for the next match while Naldo (groin) and Baba Rahman (cruciate ligament) are out for the season. Phil Neumann (ankle) and Breel Donald Embolo (broken ankle) should be available in late April. Sead Kolasinac’s (Leg) status is unknown.
Schalke 04 needs full prey if they want to be in the game for the European competitions spots but beware because the host has won two home games lately against far better teams. Under 2.5 goals is also a strong possibility.
MY PICK: Schalke 04 (-137)
Additional Pick: Under 2.5 goals (+118)
