Bundesliga | Gameweek 10

Nov 9, 2024 at 2.30pm UK

wohninvest WESERSTADION (Bremen)

Werder Bremenvs.Holstein Kiel

Match preview

Werder Bremen have had a bit of a mixed start to the season. They'll enter gameweek 10 with 12 points, including a record of three wins, three draws and three losses after the first nine games of the campaign.

After two great performances, beating Wolfsburg 4-2 and drawing with Bayer Leverkusen 2-2, the River Islanders were completely outclassed by Mönchengladbach last week. They conceded three goals in the first half and ended the match with 10 men.

Ole Werner's side will now be back at Weserstadion, but they've been struggling at home this season. They've only managed to earn two points there, which is the first time they've failed to win any of their first four home games since the 2017-18 season.

On top of that, the Green and Whites are one of only two teams in the top flight – along with St. Pauli – that haven't taken the lead in any of their home games this season. They've only scored two goals, which is the second-lowest tally in the entire division.

It's worth noting that Werder Bremen were the only team to fail to win a single game against the two newly promoted teams in the Bundesliga last season. They're now on a five-game winless streak against top-flight newcomers (W0 D1 L4).

Meanwhile, after two months in their first season in the Bundesliga, Holstein Kiel finally got their first win in the big time, with Patrick Erras scoring the only goal in their 1-0 win over Heidenheim last week.

Before that, the Storks had only managed to earn two points from their first eight top-flight matches. They drew 2-2 with Bochum in September and with Bayer Leverkusen before the October international break.

It's clear that the biggest challenge for Marcel Rapp's team this season has been their defensive struggles. They've already conceded 23 goals in just nine league games, which is the second-highest total in the division behind basement club Bochum (29).

While the hosts are the clear favourites heading into this contest, the Storks are the side with the better record in this fixture, having won both their matches against this opponent in 2. Bundesliga in the 2021-22 season.

Recent Performance

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

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Werder Bremen form (all competitions):

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Holstein Kiel Bundesliga form:

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Holstein Kiel form (all competitions):

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Team News

Just to give you a heads-up, Werder Bremen have two players out for this match due to suspension. These are Mitchell Weiser, who was sent off in their defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach, and former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita.

Abdenego Nankishi was ruled out of the last match due to a knock and is likely to miss this one as well. He'll be joined on the sidelines this week by fellow injury absentees Leon Opitz (knock) and Marco Grull (hamstring).

It looks like Holstein Kiel will be without five first-team players for this match. Colin Kleine-Bekel is out with a cruciate ligament injury, so he'll probably miss a big chunk of the season.

Carl Johansson hurt his knee in the team's DFB-Pokal match against Cologne and won't be back in action until mid-December. Alexander Bernhardsson and Andu Kelati are out until after the international break.

Possible starting lineups

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:

Zetterer; Malatini, Friedl, Pieper; Agu, Bittencourt, Lynen, Kohn; Schmid, Njinmah; Ducksch

Holstein Kiel possible starting lineup:

Weiner; Ivezic, Erras, Geschwill; Becker, Remberg, Knudsen, Gigovic, Puchacz; Skrzybski, Harres