SV Werder Bremen will be without several players ahead of their trip to face FC Bayern München on Friday (7th February, 20:30 CET). Head coach Ole Werner will also not be in the dugout with his team, and will instead have to follow proceedings from the stands, as assistant coach Patrick Kohlmann covers for him. Regardless of their depleted squad, the Green-Whites are still hoping to serve for surprise when then open matchday 21 away against the league leaders.
Team news: Niklas Stark and Marco Friedl will both miss the match due to a red-card suspension. Julián Malatini (calf), Leonardo Bittencourt (thigh) and Keke Topp (syndesmosis ligament) are also unavailable. Head coach Ole Werner will also not be in the dugout on Friday night after his red card against 1. FSV Mainz 05 last weekend.
Ole Werner on the opponent: "We were our own worst enemies on that occasion and gave up possession too easily, which allowed Bayern to find space to exploit. That's why we will need to make sure to remain compact and to not give them too many opportunities to get the ball into our final third, while also seeking to make our own moves up the pitch. We have to show that we've progressed as a team. It won't be an easy task."
Previous meetings: FC Bayern München have scored more goals than any other side in the Bundesliga this season (62). The Bavarians were able to find the back of the net five times at the Weserstadion earlier this season. However, Werder emerged victorious from their most recent trip to Munich, winning 1-0 in January 2024 – their first win against FCB in 16 years. The two sides have faced each other 128 times so far, with SVW winning 29 of these matches (D26, L79).
Conceding easily of late: FC Bayern are the only Bundesliga side that have managed to win all of their league matches so far in 2025. However, the Bavarians have struggled to avoid conceding in each of their last three games, leading to a nervy finish on each occasion. Wolfsburg, Freiburg and Kiel all came within a goal of holding the record champions to a draw.
