Arminia Bielefeld vs Werder Bremen DFB Pokal preview: A massive opening round matchup | OneFootball

Arminia Bielefeld

While the Bundesliga season has not kicked off yet, the 2. Bundesliga began a few weeks ago. Arminia Bielefeld has made a dream start to that campaign.

Securing promotion from the 3. Liga last season, you would expect the new boys to struggle, at least early on. There was some potential that Arminia would be different, as they recently made a run to the DFB-Pokal final, beating a number of top-flight teams along the way.

That potential has been realized, and the team has won both of their opening two games in impressive fashion. First was Fortuna Düsseldorf, who actually took the lead on the afternoon. However, they fell apart when they had a man sent off.

Bielefeld took advantage right away, equalizing moments later. They then exploded in the 2nd half. A penalty from Julian Kania gave them the lead, and then two goals in a short span puts things to bed with about 15 minutes to go. The hosts added a 5th in stoppage-time for good measure.

Their next match was another tough test, an away day to former Bundesliga outfit Holstein Kiel. The recent experience of the opposition didn’t scare Arminia, who jumped out to a 2-0 lead at the end of the first half. Despite going down to 10 themselves with 20 minutes to go, they held on for the victory.

It’s a wonderful time to be a fan of Die Blauen, and they’ll look to keep that momentum going with another cup victory. Analysts like their chances, considering the form they are in compared to a team who hasn’t played a competitive game yet.

We’ll see if they’re right on Friday.

Team newsBielefeld are only without forward Roberts Uldrikis for the contest.

Werder Bremen

Werder Bremen won’t be coming into this game in the same spirit.

This is their opening match of the season, as their Bundesliga campaign doesn’t start for another week. They won’t have any momentum behind them, and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered.

Werder’s preseason preparations did not go too well. They struggled going forward, and their only goal against actual top-level opposition came from the penalty spot. Things are very different tactically with new coach Horst Steffen, and his players still haven’t adapted.

The injury bug hasn’t helped. Midfielder Jens Stage is out for a few more weeks, and his goal threat will truly be missed. It’s even worse for attacking wingback Mitchell Weiser, one of the team’s best passers, who won’t be seen until well into the new year.

Die Werderaner would’ve appreciated an easy draw in the cup to start their year. They would’ve gotten a chance to see the field in a legitimate game and boost their confidence by winning in style. Instead, they’ve been thrown to the wolves.

Friday night will be very difficult, especially in the first few minutes. However, if Bremen can survive that opening spell and settle into proceedings, it might be the perfect situation to test themselves. They will be desperate to avoid an early exit in the Pokal.

Pressure makes diamonds, and if there’s any club that knows about diamonds, it’s SVW.

Team newsThe aforementioned Stage and Weiser will miss out, plus centerback Amos Pieper with a short-term knock.