SV Werder Bremen are expecting to be put through their paces when they travel to the capital to take on 1. FC Union Berlin on Saturday, 16th March (15:30 CET). After struggling through the first half of the season, FCU have established a new-found momentum and returned to the standard that they had set in recent seasons, which is evident from the fact that they now have only have five fewer points on the board than the Green-Whites.
Squad update: In light of the high number of absentees in Werder’s ranks, Ole Werner will be forced to make some changes to his line-up for the clash against the side from the capital. Upon his return to action last weekend after completing his rehabilitation, Niklas Stark unfortunately sustained an ankle injury and is set for yet another spell on the sidelines. Marco Friedl and Amos Pieper are still absent, and Romano Schmid is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Ole Werner on the opposition: “Just like ours, Union’s results haven’t been too good as of late, but in general, they’re still the same Union Berlin as they were before. They’re very strong at the back and don't concede many chances. They have a different calibre of players up front than they have done over the past few years, as well as at the time of our meeting in the first half of the season. Pace is a key component of their game, and they’ve rediscovered their talent for set pieces. When you take a look at their current line-up, it’s clear to see that a lot has changed in terms of their squad’s individual quality. That’s something we can expect to see at the weekend.”
Previous meetings: Out of the seven times SVW and FCU have met since Union were promoted in 2019, Saturday’s hosts have come out on top on five occasions. Werder have only won twice, the most recent of which being their 2-0 home victory on matchday 9, courtesy of an own goal from Robin Knoche and a second from Marvin Ducksch.
10th vs. 14th: The two sides couldn’t have been in a more similar position before they met on matchday 9. Both FCU and SVW had been defeated on nine occasions, and were sat just above the relegation zone with only six points to their name. While the Green-Whites found their momentum after beating Union and ascended towards to the other end of the table, at times even challenging for a spot in Europe, the side from the capital sunk to the bottom following their 2-0 defeat. Now, SVW are sat in tenth, while FCU are occupying fourteenth position.
Strong at home under Nenad Bjelica: After Nenad Bjelica was appointed as Union’s new head coach at the end of November, FCU only fell to defeat in one of their six Bundesliga home games, collecting 13 of a possible 18 points at the Alte Försterei. This Saturday’s hosts were only beaten by Borussia Dortmund, against whom FCU conceded twice.
