Werder take to the pitch for the last time in the Weserstadion this year on Wednesday evening (20:30 CET). TSG 1899 Hoffenheim are the visitors, and Werder will want to end the year at home with a win. Three points could also see the side move as high as sixth in the Bundesliga table, so there’s definitely incentive going into the game!
Previous meetings: The first meeting of last season was an away game in Sinsheim for Werder. It was a balanced game, and both teams missed chances. At half time, it looked as though the game would end goalless, but Hoffenheim took a late lead through Andrej Kramaric in the 83rd minute. The striker’s finish took a deflection off Robert Bauer, leaving Jiri Pavlenka no chance of saving it, and Werder lost the game 1-0. When the sides met for the second time, there was a quick start from Werder. The Green-Whites were the team on top and Florian Kainz had a good chance to open the scoring. However, Hoffenheim grew into the game and went in front through Benjamin Hübner in the 39th minute. Werder got back into it in the second half, with Theodor Gebre Selassie scoring the equaliser (63’). The game ended 1-1.
The boss on the game: Florian Kohfeldt does not have a lot of time to prepare after the Dortmund game at the weekend. However, he spoke of Julian Nagelsmann’s team’s strengths in his press conference on Tuesday: “They don’t just try to play their way through anymore. They have a lot of individuality and they often change their system. However, there’s still a clear structure. They switch play a lot and then up the tempo by playing the ball forward in the air.” Werder will be expecting a similarly intense game to the match against Dortmund last weekend. The team are fully-prepared: “We don’t need to rotate for fitness reasons. We’ll give it everything we’ve got on Wednesday,” added Kohfeldt. Werder’s defence will be important tomorrow evening, as “they’re a real force with their physical presence up front,” said the head coach.
Squad update: “Davy Klaassen will definitely be able to play and will train today as well,” Kohfeldt confirmed on Tuesday. The midfielder had been a doubt after picking up an injury against Dortmund. Johannes Eggestein will also be back in the squad after recovering from an infection: “Jojo rested well and is very fresh. He’s in the squad and he’s also got potential to start.” The game comes too soon for Milos Veljkovic, who will be back against Leipzig at the earliest.
Head-to-head: The numbers are well in favour of Werder for this fixture. The Green-Whites have only lost three of their 20 games against Hoffenheim, and have scored in every home game. The fixture averages 3.5 goals per games, so fans could be in for an exciting contest. Werder forward Max Kruse has seven goals and five assists in 14 games against Hoffenheim in his career.
The opponents: TSG 1899 Hoffenheim are one of the teams that will be competing with Werder for the European places. Julian Nagelsmann’s side are unbeaten in eight games, but have drawn their last four Bundesliga games in a row. The side missed a lot of opportunities to score in their 0-0 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach last time out. Even though their attackers create a lot of chances, they often don’t use them. Hoffenheim’s defence has been fairly solid this season, and they’ve conceded 21 goals in the league this season. The side are also dangerous away from home, winning three and drawing two of their games on the road this term.
The officials: Markus Schmidt takes charge of the game. His assistants are Christof Günsch and Sven Waschitzki, and Norbert Grudzinski is the fourth official. The video assistant referees are Sören Storks and Thorben Siewer.
