Bayer Leverkusen vs. Werder Bremen preview: Die Werkself targeting historic title
Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen recorded a narrow 1-0 victory over Union Berlin last weekend thanks to Florian Wirtz’s first-half penalty. Having won each of their last nine league games, Leverkusen are now on the verge of lifting their first-ever Bundesliga title with 13 points separating them from second-placed Bayern Munich. As a result, die Werkself know that a win on Sunday would see them secure the title with five matches to spare.
As well as targeting league success, Leverkusen are also in the hunt for two more trophies this season. They have already booked their place in the DFB-Pokal final, while they are well placed to reach the Europa League semi-finals after beating West Ham United in Thursday’s first leg. Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface both scored late goals to condemn the Hammers to a 2-0 defeat, ensuring Leverkusen are still yet to lose a competitive game this season.
Although they are unbeaten in seven matches against Bremen, Leverkusen have failed to win their last three head-to-head home meetings (D3, L1). With that in mind, die Werkself are looking to claim their first home win over Bremen since recording an extra-time victory in the DFB-Pokal in February 2018.
Team News
Leverkusen are unable to call upon Adam Hlozek, who sustained an ankle injury in last Saturday’s win over Union.
Werder Bremen
Bremen head into Sunday’s contest off the back of a poor run of form which has seen them take just two points from their last six league matches. They began their six-game winless run with a draw against Darmstadt before going on to lose four consecutive games.
Although they managed to avoid defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt, they would have been disappointed to miss out on all three points. Miloš Veljković opened the scoring just past the hour mark, before Tuta restored parity in the 77th minute to prolong Bremen’s wait for a win.
The 12th-placed side will turn their attention to Sunday’s tricky away trip, where they will attempt to beat Leverkusen for the first time since March 2019. While they have found wins hard to come by in recent meetings, Bremen have managed to take a point from each of their last three away games against Leverkusen.
Team News
Bremen are without the services of Jiri Pavlenka, Amos Pieper, Niklas Stark, Skelly Alvero and Justin Njinmah. Marco Friedl, Anthony Jung and Jens Stage are all suspended, while Michael Zetterer and Marvin Ducksch are both doubts.