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Serge Gnabry and Co. will not want a repeat of the last time they faced RB Leipzig (Photo: nordphoto).
First Team
Friday, 17.03.2017 / 15:50

SV Werder’s recent results give hope, but the table standings tell a totally different story. Despite the Green-Whites’ run of four games without a loss ahead of the duel with RB Leipzig on Saturday (18/03/2017 15:30 CET), they sit level on points with Wolfsburg and Hamburg SV, the latter of which is currently occupying the last relegation spot. “We’re still in danger of going down, one look at the table tells you that. We’re not the only ones who want to stay up,” said Felix Wiedwald. He adds, however, “If we continue winning, but if we continue winning, we’ll settle down.” A victory at home against the ‘Red Bulls’ would be the next step in the right direction. Having said this, the guests from Saxony are perhaps coming at the perfect time, yet Werder manager Alexander Nouri knows that they can’t rely on momentum alone: “We’re aware of the great quality of Leipzig’s squad and the potential that they have.”

Below, we explain why it could be the perfect time to come up against the team that resides at the other end of the table, which Werder players’ 50th Bundesliga games are imminent, and which key players are available for the guests.

Did you know...

… that Leipzig have had a dip in form since the year began? Last weekend’s match against VfL Wolfsburg made it clear: Quick passing and counter-attacks, which RB Leipzig excelled at before the winter-break, does not feature as prominently as part of their game plan any longer. For already the third time in seven games, they have been unable to find the back of the net, a striking statistic when taking into account that Leipzig only failed to score in two games for the entirety of the first-half of the season. Incidentally, the exact same figures goes for Leipzig’s losses too – two in the first-half of the season, and three following the winter-break. 

[Translate to Englisch:] Die Form der Grün-Weißen stimmt, nur die Bayern waren zuletzt noch besser (Foto: nordphoto).

… that only Bayern are in better form than SVW as of late? Werder are undefeated in their last four games. With at least one point against Leipzig on Saturday, this streak would extent to five, similar to the end of the 2016 calendar year. The difference? At the end of the year, Nouri’s men only gained nine points from those five undefeated games, whereas this time round they have already acquired ten in four undefeated games! Only FC Bayern top the Green-Whites on the form table. 

… that Felix Wiedwald is about to hit a small milestone? Felix Wiedwald has a lot to do with SV Werder’s recent excellent run of results. In the last four games Wiedwald has kept 18 of the last 20 (90%) shots out of the back of his net, a statistic with which no other Bundesliga keeper during this period can compete. Werder’s shot-stopper celebrated in Leverkusen with his first Bundesliga penalty save in the last match, and this week he stand before a milestone: three days following his 27th birthday, Wiedwald is on track for his 50th Bundesliga game for SV Werder Bremen.

… that the game in Leipzig was the start of a slump for Werder? There are no good memories of the last game in Saxony for Werder. In their first game against Bremen, the Red Bulls were victorious in game that ended 3-1. The Green-Whites went on to lose three more times, against Freiburg (3-1), Schalke (3-1), and Frankfurt (2-1). Thankfully Werder were able to make up for this poor run of form when they started to pick up some points towards the end of 2016. Under no circumstances can SVW afford another streak of losses, given the ongoing relegation battle. 

Naby Keita will miss the game due to accumulating five yellow cards. His first of the five came against Werder in October.

… that one of Leipzig’s most important players is unavailable? Naby Keita was at the top of nobody’s shopping list before the season, but the midfield engine, who came from Salzburg to Leipzig in the summer transfer window, has become one of the most important pieces in manager Ralph Hasenhüttl’s squad, as evidenced by his four goals and eight assists so far. The 21-year-old played a big role in the 3-1 victory over SVW, scoring a brace, but Keita won’t be able to build on that come Saturday, as he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Wolfsburg, triggering an automatic suspension.

Sources: OPTA and Werder.de

 

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