Werder Bremen vs. Bochum preview: Visitors looking to secure safety
Werder Bremen
Having picked up 39 points from 33 matches, Bremen are sitting in 11th place ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Bochum. Bremen may have avoided defeat in their last four matches, but they have had to settle for draws in their previous two outings against Borussia Mönchengladbach and RB Leipzig. They played out a 2-2 draw with die Folhen, before their trip to the Red Bull Arena finished in a 1-1 scoreline. Ole Werner’s side went into the break with a narrow advantage thanks to a Nicolas Seiwald own goal. However, Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško netted a second-half equaliser to ensure the spoils were shared.
Despite sitting in the bottom half of the table, Bremen could still qualify for Europe if a series of results go in their favour. Eighth will become a European place if Borussia Dortmund beat Real Madrid in the Champions League final and/or Bayer Leverkusen win the DFB-Pokal. As it stands, Die Werderaner are sitting three points adrift of Freiburg in eighth position. They are also level on points with Augsburg and Heidenheim, who occupy 10th and ninth place respectively. If Freiburg lose, Bremen will finish in eighth if they better Heidenheim and Augsburg’s results. However, goal difference will come into play if Freiburg lose and the other three teams win.
Bremen have struggled for wins in recent home games, having won just one of their previous six matches at the Weserstadion. However, they have won each of their last three home games against Bochum.
Team News
Amos Pieper is sidelined with an ankle problem, while Justin Njinmah is ruled out due to illness.
Bochum
The visitors still have work to do to extend their three-year stay in the top flight. Die Unabsteigbaren missed the chance to secure safety in last Sunday’s home clash against Leverkusen. They were left with a mountain to climb when Felix Passlack was given his marching orders in the 15th minute. The newly-crowned champions subsequently made full use of the numerical advantage to rack up the goals and condemn Bochum to a heavy 5-0 defeat.
Having collected 33 points from as many matches, Bochum are sitting in 14th place and three points above the bottom three. Although they cannot be automatically relegated, they could still drop into the relegation playoff spot before the curtain comes down on the season. Heiko Butscher’s side will secure safety if they claim a point in Saturday’s contest. If they lose, they will still finish outside the bottom three if Union Berlin and Mainz fail to win their respective matches.
Bochum recorded a narrow 4-3 victory over Union in their most recent away trip. As a result, the visitors have the chance to win consecutive Bundesliga away games for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
Team News
The visitors are unable to call upon Moritz Kwarteng, Michael Esser, Danilo Soares, Mohammed Tolba and Philipp Forster. Meanwhile, Passlack is suspended for the final game of the season.
