Bundesliga | Gameweek 17

Jan 15, 2025 at 7.30pm UK

wohninvest WESERSTADION (Bremen)

Werder Bremen vs Heidenheim

Match preview

Having ended last year with victories over VfL Bochum (1-0), St Pauli (2-0) and Union (4-1), Bremen went in search of a fourth Bundesliga win on the trot for the first time since February 2015, when they made it five in a row, only to fall short at Leipzig.

The 4-2 defeat leaves the River Islanders ninth in the table, but three places and two points behind Freiburg, who occupy the final European qualification spot, and three points behind fifth-placed Mainz 05.

Werder would be ideally placed to take maximum points from the third-bottom visitors and extend their unbeaten run at the Weserstadion to five games, but just two home wins this term will dampen the hosts' confidence going into Wednesday's clash.

Having lost their last three meetings with Heidenheim, both of which came after their promotion last season, Werner's men will be wary of their struggling opponents.

Nevertheless, optimistic Bremen supporters will point to their two home wins in their last three matches - victories over Holstein Kiel (2-1) and 1. FC Nürnberg (4-1), as well as a creditable 2-2 draw with Stuttgart - and will be backing their team to make it three wins from four at home in week 17.

It will be interesting to see if Heidenheim's win over the capital club can be the catalyst for a turnaround in fortunes, having gone 10 Bundesliga matches without a win before beating the Berliners 2-0 on 11 January.

Nine of those 10 matches ended in defeat for the third-bottom club, whose survival prospects looked bleak at the start of 2025.

However, long-serving coach Frank Schmidt was not sacked despite the miserable run, and his players rewarded the vote of confidence with victories over Union, with the BaWu outfit now chasing back-to-back Bundesliga wins for the first time since September, when they defeated newly-promoted St. Pauli 2-0 and Augsburg 4-0.

Undoubtedly, a key factor in the away side's chances of success is keeping their opponents at bay, as Schmidt's men have lost every time they have conceded first this season.

Heidenheim, on the other hand, have taken 12 points from their four games in which they have opened the scoring - beating St Pauli, Augsburg and Mainz (2-0) and Union (2-0) - highlighting the importance of a strong start in Bremen.

Team News

Marco Friedl is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Leipzig, and the defender is likely to be joined on the sidelines by injured duo Felix Agu (knee) and Keke Topp (ankle).

Seven-goal scorers Jens Stage and Derrick Kohn, who each netted a match-winning goal for the River Islanders, will be looking to provide the spark for Werner's side on Wednesday.

Marvin Ducksch and Mitchell Weiser, who have seven and five assists respectively, could also play a key role in the home side's success as they look to unlock Heidenheim's creativity in the attacking third.

Heidenheim have a number of question marks ahead of the 17th round, with Benedikt Gimber (knee), Julian Niehues (knee), Leo Scienza (ankle) and Mathias Honsak (muscle) unlikely to feature.

Schmidt should welcome back Marvin Pieringer from suspension, with the striker keen to add to his six-goal haul against the River Islanders.

Possible starting lineup

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:

Zetterer; Stark, Veljkovic, Jung; Weiser, Stage, Lynen, Kohn; Schmid, Grull; Ducksch

Heidenheim possible starting lineup:

Muller; Traore, Mainka, Siersleben, Fohrenbach; Dorsch, Schoppner; Conteh, Wanner, Kratzig; Pieringer