The final matchup of Round 12 in Germany will be staged at the Wesser Stadium between Werder Bremen and the newcomer in the league Hannover 96 squad. The hosts are as we all know the only squad along with FC Koln, in the top-tier soccer competition in the country that doesn’t have a victory recorded yet. They are coming off from another disappointing outcome (2:1 loss by Eintracht Frankfurt on the road) and the fans’ patience is nearing the wall.
The newcomers (promoted to the top-tier competition this season) on the other side also recorded a road loss but this was the much more expected outcome having in mind that they faced the second-ranked RB Leipzig team at Red Bull Arena (2:1 loss). Nevertheless, they have enough reasons to be optimistic about Sunday having in mind that they’ve managed to defeat a couple of heavy-hitters already. Very interesting matchup ahead so let’s take a closer look.
SV Werder Bremen vs. Hannover 96
Three-Way: 1: SV Werder Bremen +135; X: +270 Draw; 2: Hannover 96 +240 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: SV Werder Bremen +131; Hannover 96 -133
Total +2.5: Over -125; Under +125
SV WERDER BREMEN
Eleven games without a victory are the far worst start of the season in the team’s history and a serious U-turn will have to be staged if they want to avoid the relegation. A similar scenario took place last season but this time the White-Greens could be in a serious trouble because they don’t possess the roster strength they did last year. The 36-years long tenure in the top tier of German soccer is in jeopardy and hopefully, the fans will not have to live through the relegation but the sky ahead looks as grim as it can be. Only supporters in the country that are less happy than Werder’s fans probably live in Koln and this is a statement worth wondering.
The team currently ranks at No. 15 spot in the league table with only five points earned and a 0-5-6 record (0-1-4 at home). They are also along with the Billy Goats, the worst home team ranking last in this segment. Their goal difference is 4-14 (1-9 at home) and the fact that they failed to score in last three home soil games is very disturbing. 73% of squad’s matchups had under 2.5 goals in total and no game has yet had over 3.5 goals in total. They’ve managed to concede at least one goal in both halves in 40% of their home duels while both teams scored in 36% of their matches. Most common score at home is a 2:0 loss (occurred twice).
The newly appointed manager Florian Kofheldt who replaced Alexander Nouri who was sacked two weeks ago after that horrible 3:0 loss at home by Hoffenheim, experimented with the scheme in his debut. It looks like the 4-3-3 and it did bring some life into the team but the real test will be in front of the home crowd. In Frankfurt, he started with Gebre Selassie, Veljkovic, Moisander and Augustinsson in the defensive line and Eggestein, Bargfrede and Delaney as midfielders. Bartels, Kruse, and Junuzovic operated up front. Fin Bartels, Thomas Delaney, Niklas Moisander and Lamine Sane are the authors of four goals scored for the team so far while no Bremen’s player has yet recorded an assist. Passing segment belongs to defender Ludwig Augustinsson with 369 total passes while goalie Jiri Pavlenka has 162 shots against, 48 saves and three clean-sheet games at the moment. Midfielder Florian Kainz holds the “most undisciplined player” attribute with four yellow cards.
Justin Eilers’s (cruciate ligament) timetable for return is set for early January next year while Ishak Belfodil’s (flu) and Michael Zetterer (wrist) injury status is unknown and it’s unclear if they’ll be at disposal on Sunday.
HANNOVER 96
One of the biggest surprises in German soccer this season is the Hannover 96 team who is riding comfortably and with big success through the Bundesliga caravan so far. The fans’ biggest concern prior to the beginning of the season, the survival in the top-tier Bundesliga is not a concern anymore because the squad is performing above all expectations and they are far closer to the battle for one of the spots that lead to the UEFA team competitions next year. Imagine the happiness and joy that would overwhelm the city of Hannover if the team actually provides the Europe play next season… We’ll be cheering for them, as we do for all underdogs.
They currently rank at No. 6 spot with 18 points and a 5-3-3 record (2-2-2 on the road). Team scores 1.36 (1.17 on the road) and concedes 1.00 (1.17 on the road) goals per game (15-11 goal difference) and every second Hannover’s matchup had over 2.5 goals in total while only one game so far had over 3.5 goals in total. They are also much more efficient in the second half as 80% of their scored goals occurred in this period. On the other side, 36% of their conceded goals occurred in the last 15 minutes of the matchup. The team managed to score at least one goal in every road duel this season and both teams scored in 64% of their overall showdowns. The most common scores on the road are 2:1 loss and 1:1 draw (both occurred twice).
Coach Andre Breitenreiter prefers the 3-4-3 scheme with Sorg Sane and Anton operating as centre-backs and Korb, Schwegler, Bakalorz, and Ostrzolek placed in front of them. Klaus, Jonathas and Bebou start up front with mostly offensive assignments. Forward Martin Harnik tops the team in scoring with five goals while Ihlas Bebou and Jonathas have three each in their accounts. Jonathas is also the top assister with three while passing segment belongs to defenders Salif Sane and Julian Korb with 424 and 387 total passes. Goalkeeper Philipp Tschauner has 156 shots against, 35 saves and four clean-sheet games so far. Most troubles with discipline has midfielder Pirmin Schwegler who collected four yellow cards already.
Felipe (thigh) and Edgar Prib (cruciate ligament) will be back at the beginning of the next year while Philipp Tschauner’s (shoulder, illness), Julian Korb’s (Illness) and Waldemar Anton’s (knee) injury status is unknown. Ihlas Bebou (thigh) and Uffe Bech (meniscus) are listed as day to day while Oliver Sorg (back) should be available in few days. Noah-Joel Sarenren-Bazee (thigh) is back in training.
SV Werder Bremen vs. Hannover 96 – Match Prediction
The round 12 in German Bundesliga this season will be remembered as the week when both in that time winless teams, managed to record victories. Werder even seems to be a safer option than Koln because they’ve proved that they have a higher level of quality having in mind that they have five draws recorded so far. On the other side, Hannover team has certain injury problems and it’s unclear if their starting goalkeeper will be in the squad. My additional pick here will be under 2.5 goals in total because I expect a 1:0 win by the home team.
My pick: SV Werder Bremen (+135)
Additional pick: Under 2.5 goals (+125)
