Werder Bremen vs SC Paderborn preview: Will the good times continue at the Weserstadion?

Werder Bremen

Following an opening day disaster, Werder Bremen have had an excellent start to the season.

They’ve won two home games, and their two away days ended in draws. Werder comprehensively beat RB Leipzig at the Weserstadion, following that up with a 1-1 tie on the road to Koln. Then things got wild.

Hosting Augsburg, the Green-Whites seemed set for a disappointing day at the office. They went 2-0 down at the hour mark via a set-piece, which could’ve been a dagger. Instead, the home side pulled one back shortly after. Niclas Füllkrug grabbed an equalizer with a few minutes to go, and in the final moments Mitchell Weiser rifled a first-time strike into the roof of the net.

It was a remarkable comeback, and it was nearly matched in their next game. Bremen travelled to Dortmund, falling behind 2-0 once again. This was a much tougher spot, though. They were on the road, against a better team, and the goals were conceded much later on.

No matter. Ludovit Reis went on his own and picked out the bottom corner with a lovely strike. Then Füllkrug was up to bat again, heading home a lovely set-piece moments later. While Werder couldn’t find a winner this time around, it was still a superb result.

They ended the weekend in 7th. If you told supporters that they’d be in this position at this point in the summer, they’d be thrilled. If you told them a day after matchweek one they’d think you were under the influence of something.

Things could get even better. Bremen are back at home, and they have a favorable matchup compared to others. They’ll take on newly-promoted Paderborn, who are in 15th place and have only scored in one of their five fixtures.

Another win here could see Werder climb further up the table, and put them in the thick of the European battle.

Team news
Not much has changed for Bremen on the injury front, as they are still without Felix Agu, Moussa N'Diaye, Jens Stage, Senne Lynen, Justin Njinmah, and Keke Topp.

Predicted lineups
Hein, Arthur, Pieper, Friedl, Deman, Reeger, Reis, Chuki, Dincki, Fullkrug, Grull

Paderborn

It’s not been a nightmare return to the Bundesliga for Paderborn, but it’s not been ideal either.

Things look a bit worse than they are. They’ve had a tough early schedule, having to take on the likes of Freiburg, Borussia Dortmund, and VfB Stuttgart. All three of those ended up being losses, but none came in really embarrassing fashion.

Die Blau-Schwarzen picked up a point in their very first game, a tight 0-0 draw on the road to Mainz. Their one win of the campaign came a few weeks later. At home to Hoffenheim, two goals in the final 15ish minutes of the first half put them in front, and even though the lead was halved, Steffen Tigges wrapped up the three points with a lovely header in the 69th minute.

That gives them a total of four points in the early stages. It’s a solid return all things considered, and it’s just enough to keep Paderborn out of the relegation zone. For now, though.

If the team will want to avoid an instant return to the 2. Bundesliga, they will need to clinch results on a consistent basis. The good news is they’ve shown defensive solidity. They can make games ugly, and when you aren’t blessed with the most attacking talent, that is how you have to get by.

While this is a tough test, away to a promising Bremen outfit, Paderborn knows this is a genuine opportunity to steal a point or even all three. If they come out with energy and grab an early goal, they’ll have something to hold on to, something to protect.

Who cares if it’s not pretty, SCP will only care if it helps them survive.

Team news
Paderborn are missing a few players for this weekend, namely Nyamekye Awortwie-Grant, Timur Gayret, Marcel Hoffmeier, and Sebastian Klaas.

Predicted lineups
Noll, ter Horst, Scheller, Hansen, Curda, Ulrich, Castaneda, Vidovic, Obermair, Pieringer, Philippe