Werder will start their home 2017/18 Bundesliga campaign with a bang: The Weser-Stadion will play host to record champions Bayern Munich on Saturday (15:30 CEST). It’s a game which every single Werder player will have to put their all into. Head coach Alexander Nouri knows that: “We have to be courageous and throw everything into the game.”
Read ahead to find out which two Werder players the rest of the team can take inspiration from on Saturday and which anniversary the Green-Whites will celebrate.
Notable anniversary: When the two teams meet on Saturday, Werder will be competing in their 1,800th Bundesliga game and it will be the Green-Whites’ 900th home game. Of the 899 games Werder have played at home, they have won 514. Only the record champions Bayern have won more (658).
The last game between the two sides: It hasn’t been that long since Bayern and Werder last faced each other. In the 2017 Telekom Cup, the high-calibre pre-season tournament, the two teams faced off in the final. Bayern were triumphant 2-0. In the return game last season, the Green-Whites held strong for a long time and pushed Munich all the way but were narrowly defeated 2-1.
Pre-match quotes: “We can’t be intimidated by Bayern. We know how many great players they have in their squad. It’s important that we work as a team and push ourselves to the limit”, Head coach Alexander Nouri said of Werder’s game plan ahead of the opening home game of the season. And Werder’s sporting director Frank Baumann added at the press conference on Thursday, “If we are as attacking as we were in January, we will have a chance of getting something from the game”.
That certain something: Max Kruse and Jaroslav Drobny are the only players in the Werder squad who have won against Bayern in their careers. Max Kruse won 2-0 in March 2015 with Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Allianz Arena. Jaroslav Drobny’s victory over Bayern was a little longer ago. In February 2009, the goalkeeper, whilst playing at Hertha BSC, beat the record champions 2-1 at the Olympiastadion. So to both of you: Give the others the lowdown on how to beat them!
The twelfth man: The Green-Whites can fully rely on their fans this season, just as in any other season. The home game against Bayern Munich is completely sold out. That’s no great surprise for Frank Baumann: “The atmosphere in the last few years has been extraordinarily good. I’m sure that on Saturday, the Weser-Stadion will be a fortress and will spur the boys on massively.”
The other possible landmarks: Philipp Bargfrede has made 149 appearances for SV Werder. If the defensive midfielder plays this weekend, he will reach the 150 appearances landmark. The Zeven-born player has been at Werder since 2004. He started his career in the youth academy at SV Werder, before becoming a professional in 2008. The midfielder was absent from training on Thursday however. According to head coach Alexander Nouri, he’s not in danger of missing out though: “Philipp sat out of training today. He shouldn’t be a problem for the Bayern game though.”
The referee: The clash on Saturday will be officiated by Bastian Dankert. The Rostock-born man oversaw proceedings in SV Werder‘s 2-2 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt last season. René Rohde and Arne Aarnink will be his assistants. Fourth official is Markus Schüller.
