After their 2-0 defeat to BVB last time out, Ole Werner’s side have another tough test ahead them in the form of a trip to Champions League participants Eintracht Frankfurt (Saturday, 18th February, 18:30 CET). SGE are currently in sixth place, but close to the teams above. Head coach Ole Werner knows that it is no easy task for Werder: “They are a top team, so we will need to have a perfect day.”
On the squad: Ole Werner will be without a key player in Mitchell Weiser, who picked up an injury in the game against Borussia Dortmund. Manuel Mbom and Felix Agu continue to miss out through injury and Leonardo Bittencourt is serving a yellow card suspension. Captain Marco Friedl is eligible to play again after his suspension and will probably return to the squad. In addition, veteran Christian Groß is unavailable due to a cold.
Head coach Ole Werner on the opponents: “I expect Frankfurt to perform as consistently as they have all season, despite their busy schedule with their participation in the Champions League. They are very well organised at the back, they can hit you on the counter and can switch things up when they have the ball. They are where they deserve to be and they have been for a number of years. They are now a team full of international talent and that goes beyond just Götze and Kolo Muani. Lindström, Sow and the back-three behind them. They have lots of players who know what it takes."
Previous encounters: The Green-Whites have faced SGE 112 times, 103 of which have been in the Bundesliga. Werder have a slight advantage in the overall record, with 45 wins to Frankfurt’s 43. A total of 358 goals have been scored in this fixture and incredibly, both sides have scored 179 each.
In the last five matches, however, SGE have just had the edge and have been victorious twice, compared to Werder’s one win. In the first half of the season, an entertaining Sunday match ended with a 4-3 away win for SGE. Füllkrug’s goal in injury time was too little too late, in a game in which both teams had taken and lost the lead.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Eintracht Frankfurts Kolo Muani am Ball im Duell mit Marco Friedl](https://werdercdn.azureedge.net/fileadmin/_processed_/0/e/csm_NOR_20220828_TK1_1585_85f4ae0049.jpg)
The battle of the top scorers: In Randal Kolo Muani and Niclas Füllkrug, the current Bundesliga top assister and top scorer will meet. Kolo Muani has had more goal involvements than any other player, with twelve assists and nine goals. Füllkrug, on the other hand, is third on the list with 16 direct goal contributions (13 goals, three assists).
Compiled by WERDER.DE and Opta.
