Can either team put some distance between themselves and the bottom three?\
Werder Bremen
It took them hitting rock bottom, but Werder Bremen finally seemed to have turned things around.
They ended their lengthy winless run a few weeks ago, beating bottom-dwellers FC Heidenheim 2-0 at home. Not only was it a big win, the performance was impressive as well. Even though the opposition wasn’t the toughest, Bremen were clearly the better side.
Those three points dug them out of the bottom two. Werder’s next test was a much tougher one as they travelled to Union Berlin, and it looked like a long day at the office was ahead as they went down early via a spot-kick. However, everything changed minutes later when the hosts went down a man.
The Green-Whites immediately took control of proceedings, and never really let go. Two goals from corners past the half-hour mark gave them the lead, and following the break they suffocated Union by dominating possession. Marco Grull doubled the advantage in the 66th minute before younger Patrice Covic wrapped things up in stoppage time.
In the span of two games Bremen had dug themselves out of a hole. They’re far from safe, of course, with a single point separating them from the relegation-playoff spot. The good news is there are three teams behind them, and they’re also five points clear of the bottom two.
The club aren’t going to want to risk anything, which is why there’s still pressure to pick up another win. Werder will fancy their chances against another team in the fight for survival, especially one that had to play in Europe during the week.
A win here wouldn’t secure safety, but it would go a long way in avoiding a disastrous drop. Bremen can’t let their recent showings make them arrogant, though. If they go into the contest thinking they can just play their game and clinch another victory without a fight, then they’ll be made to pay against a tough Mainz outfit.
Die Werderaner have the talent and the confidence to keep the good times rolling, especially in front of a passionate Weserstadion. Hey, they’re only four points back of bitter rivals Hamburg, and nine off a potential European place.
They can worry about that once they’re safe from the relegation scrap, though.
Team news
Bremen’s availability report is the same as last week, with Mitchell Weiser, Felix Agu, Maximilian Wöber, Amos Pieper, Karim Coulibaly, Victor Boniface, Samuel Mbangula, and Jovan Milosevic ruled out for the fixture.
Predicted lineups
Backhaus, Sugawara, Stark, Friedl, Deman, Puertas, Lynen, Stage, Grull, Njinmah, Schmid
Mainz
It’s been an interesting few months for Mainz.
They took off in January, ripping off a run of three straight victories. They were then smoked by Borussia Dortmund, and since then the 05’s have played four games and tied every single one of them.
They hosted Mainz, traveled to Bayer Leverkusen, and welcomed Stuttgart, and each time the spoils were shared. That’s not a bad stretch of results, to be fair, as two of those contests took place against European sides.
Speaking of Europe, that’s the kind of competition Die Karnevalsverein were involved in during the week. Not only did they play on Thursday, they had to make the trip to Czechia to take on Sigma Olomouc in the UEFA Conference League knockout stages. It was a tight and tense affair, with neither side getting to one xG. It was little surprise to see things end 0-0.
Once again, though, that’s not a bad scoreline. Getting a draw on the road in a two-legged tie is decent, and now all Mainz has to do is take care of business at home next week. Before that, though, they need to journey to Bremen.
Despite how well they’ve been playing, they still aren’t clear of relegation. They are technically tied for the relegation-playoff spot, only ahead of St. Pauli due to goal differential. The good news is they’ve already lost this weekend, so the 05’s have the chance to put some distance between them in that race.
Mainz are without a few key players, which will get to later, but the team spirit still remains. They’re tough to break down, and they will pounce on any mistakes made by the opposition. In matchups like this at the bottom of the table, that is absolutely crucial.
A win for the Carnival Club here would lead to a Sunday night of partying in the city center.
Team news
Nadiem Amiri is the biggest injury absence for Mainz, but they are also without the likes of Stefan Bell, Robin Zentner, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Maxim Dal, Anthony Caci, Benedict Hollerbach and Silas.
Predicted lineups
Batz, da Costa, Posch, Kohr, Widmer, Nebel, Sano, Lee, Mwene, Tietz, Becker
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