Florian Kohfeldt on the fixture: “André Breitenreiter’s team have started well in the past and they’ve had a good preseason, getting results off some decent sides”, he warned. What’s more, Hannover “have a lot of quality in their starting XI and a very well established quartet of attacking players.” The Werder coach continued: “they’re a hard working team and play direct football. Their style of play will test our concentration and precision. On top of that, 96 are very compact, however they line up at the back. Those are the qualities that clubs in that area of the table tend to possess.” Kohfeldt will be facing off against a familiar figure, having been part of Breitenreiter’s coaching team at SC Paderborn.
Team news ahead of the match: Martin Harnik will miss the duel against his former teammates, whereas a return to the team is quite probable for Kevin Möhwald. Hannover will have to do without new signing Bobby Wood. The former Hamburg man is currently serving a red card suspension after picking up two yellows in his last Bundesliga game for HSV. Felipe and Edgar Prib will also be unavailable as both are still recovering from injuries. It remains to be seen whether Genki Haraguchi will be fit in time for the game.
Dangerous territory for 96: Werder have a dominant home record against Hannover. They have won just one of 30 duels at the Weser. The Green-Whites have now gone 14 games unbeaten at home against the Lower Saxony side. Of the other Bundesliga teams, Werder only have a better history at home against Düsseldorf with 15 successive wins. Another notable fact is that Hannover are one of three Bundesliga teams that SVW have put eight past (8-2 home win on 16th August 1985).
