There is no time to breathe after the draw to Darmstadt four days ago as Werder now move on to the next task in Leverkusen The Green-Whites will take to the pitch once more against the Werkself at 20:00 CET at the BayArena. Anthony Ujah, however, doesn’t see the short recovery time as a disadvantage. "It's good that we don't have to wait. The next game is almost here. The team wants to go again and get the reward for our efforts."
WERDER.DE have collected all the important info about tomorrow’s game, including whose feathers Pizarro can ruffle.
… two experts are coming up against each other? Zlatko Junuzovic and Hakan Calhanoglu are the top-scoring free kick takers in the Bundesliga. The Leverkusen man is leading with eleven free kicks netted, while Juno has scored five. This season, however, both have been quiet, with only the Turkey international scoring once.
… two poachers are also coming up against each other? Claudio Pizarro has scored eight goals in the last nine games while Chicharito has the same amount in eight games. Who will score on Wednesday evening?
… Werder’s form against Leverkusen is good? In 71 encounters, the Green-Whites have been successful in 24, while 28 have ended in a draw. Leverkusen only have a worse win rate in the Bundesliga against Bayern Munich.
… our Peruvian striker is hot on the trail of Rudi Völler? The former Germany forward and current Bayer Leverkusen sporting director scored 97 goals for Werder between the years 1982-87, and Claudio Pizarro is just one behind. Should Pizarro score, he would join Völler and Frank Neubarth in second place of all-time Bremen top scorers. Marco Bode still holds the record with 101 goals.
… head coach Viktor Skripnik doesn’t overvalue the win in the DFB Cup? "We have seen how things change. We beat Gladbach in the cup and then went on to lose in the league. The Bundesliga is very different. But we also know that we are capable of a win in Leverkusen."
… Werder expect an intense game? Bayer Leverkusen players have entered 5366 50-50 challenges this season so far - the most in the league - and have a success rate of 50.5%.
… Viktor Skripnik has come up against Leverkusen many times? The Werkself were the team against which he played most often. He met them ten times in his playing career.
… Werder can end a bad run of league games on Wednesday night? In the last eight against Leverkusen, Werder are without a win. They have, however, showed that anything is possible, having won in the quarter final of the DFB Cup.
… the Green-Whites must be careful? Clemens Fritz is currently sitting on nine yellow cards while Felix Wiedwald and Zlatko Junuzovic are on four. One more booking from the referee for any of these players will result in a one-match ban. Skripnik, however, is not too worried. "It doesn’t make a difference for me. The next game is always the most important for us and we need power. We need everyone to give their all," said the 49-year-old.
… the hosts will be missing important personnel? The Werkself have a long list of injuries, including Kevin Kampl, Stefan Kießling, Charles Aránguiz, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Ömer Toprak, Lars Bender and Jonathan Tah. Moreover, they will be without their manager on the sidelines as he was sent to the stands during their last match in a ludicrous incident which saw the game suspended for nearly ten minutes.
… Marco Fritz will referee the fixture? The 38-year-old banker has officiated in the Bundesliga since 2009 and been a FIFA ref since 2012. He has taken charge of six Werder games so far. He will be assisted by Dominik Schaal, Marcel Pelgrim and Frank Willenborg.
… you can follow the game live on social media? By following us @werderbremen_en on Twitter, you will be able to see our pre-match build-up and keep up to date with our minute-by-minute ticker during the game!
