Werder Bremen vs. Köln preview: Visitors targeting first victory
Köln will look to claim their first victory of the Bundesliga season when they face Werder Bremen on Saturday.
Werder Bremen
Bremen have experienced an underwhelming start to the new season, having lost three of their opening four league matches. After losing their first two games against Bayern Munich and Freiburg without scoring, Bremen looked to have turned the corner when they thrashed Mainz 4-0 on matchday three.
Unfortunately for Bremen, they were unable to build upon that result, falling to a defeat to newly-promoted Heidenheim. They were on course to salvage a point after fighting back from two goals down thanks to strikes from Marvin Ducksch and Mitchell Weiser. However, Heidenheim reestablished their two-goal cushion to condemn Ole Werner’s side to a 4-2 defeat.
Including last season, die Werderaner have now won just one of their last nine top-flight matches (D1, L7). However, after beating Mainz in their last home game, they do have the chance to claim consecutive home league wins for the first time since October/November last year.
Team News
After reporting no fresh injury concerns, Werner has a fully fit squad to choose from.
Köln
Köln are still waiting for their first league win of the season after collecting just one point from their opening four matches. They failed to take anything from their first two games, losing to both Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg.
They looked set to claim maximum points against Eintracht Frankfurt on matchday three when Florian Kainz gave Köln the lead from the penalty spot. However, Niels Nkounkou equalised in the 87th minute to ensure the spoils were shared. Steffen Baumgart’s side experienced more disappointment last weekend as they fell to a 3-1 loss in their home meeting with Hoffenheim.
Following their poor start to the campaign, die Geißböcke are languishing in the relegation playoff spot with a point separating them from safety. Although they will be hoping to claim maximum points, their recent record at the Weserstadion suggests that may be easier said than done. Since winning 1-0 in October 2014, Köln have failed to win any of their last seven competitive away matches with Bremen, highlighting the significant challenge that awaits them on Saturday.
Team News
Eric Martel, Mathias Olesen, Florian Dietz, Jan Thielmann, Noah Katterbach and Mark Uth are all sidelined through injury. Rasmus Carstensen, meanwhile, will serve a one-match suspension after being sent off last weekend.