Werder Bremen vs Bayer Leverkusen preview: Two teams in need of a win | OneFootball

Werder Bremen

It’s not a fun time for Werder Bremen right now.

Their start to the campaign has been a nightmare. It began during preseason, when star players like Jens Stage and Mitchell Weiser sustained major injuries, the latter set to miss action until early-2026.

Then they travelled to Arminia Bielefeld in the 1st round of the DFB Pokal, and following a red card to midfielder Leonardo Bittencourt, they conceded a winner in injury time that knocked them out of the tournament instantly.

Things didn’t get better when the Bundesliga finally started. They were dealt another bad hand, having to go away to Eintracht Frankfurt with a weakened squad. It went as you’d expect.

Werder gave up two goals in the span of a few minutes midway through the first half, and then another following the break. Justin Njinmah did pull one back, but the three-goal deficit was restored on the counter, and that’s how the afternoon finished.

Bremen were beaten, and they were left bruised with even more injury issues. The mood was a dark one, and it was epitomized when a German broadcaster mistook team captain Marco Friedl for a Frankfurt player, asking him how happy he was with the win.

As a result they hobble into this weekend, but at least some reinforcements have come in. First was Yukinari Sugawara, a Japanese international from Southampton. Second was Isaac Schmidt, another fullback to help cover the backline. The latter was only announced on Thursday, but the former arrived earlier and has already been practicing with his new teammates, so he could potentially feature.

That would be huge considering the injury crisis that's happening at the moment. Weiser was mentioned earlier, while fellow fullbacks Oliver Deman and Maximilian Wober are also out for the foreseeable future. Felix Agu is dealing with a knock. Those are just the fullbacks!

In terms of centerbacks, Amos Pieper is unavailable for a few more weeks, Marco Friedl has been ruled out for Saturday, and even the likes of Julian Malatini and Niklas Stark have issues. If you are reading this right now and have a pair of cleats to put on, you might be able to suit up at the back for Die Werderaner.

Fortunately for the club the international break is coming. Before that, though, they’ll have to get through Leverkusen. It’s not an impossible challenge, as last season’s runners-up have a new coach and lost several important pieces, but they still are very talented.

A win for the Green-Whites would be a huge boost that could kick-start their season. Even if they don’t win, supporters will simply hope for no more injuries.

Team newsThe good news is the only non-defender that’s unavailable for selection is Jens Stage.

Predicted lineupsBackhaus, Sugawara, Stark, Coulibaly, Agu, Lynen, Alvero, Mbangula, Schmid, Covic, Njinmah

Bayer Leverkusen

Life is a bit better for Bayer Leverkusen, but not by a lot.

Their summer was a shaky one. New manager Erik Ten Hag had some tough moments in preseason, and the club saw a clearout of star names. Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, Odilon Kossounou, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky, and Amine Adli are all gone. A few names took their place, like Malik Tillman, Jarell Quansah, Loic Badé, and Lucas Vázquez, but there’s no way to have that much roster turnover without some growing pains.

The theme continued in the cup. Playing against a regional outfit, Bayer needed 32 minutes to score the opener, and their second didn’t come until the 74th minute. They ultimately beat a nine-man Sonnenhof Großaspach 4-0, but that scoreline was kind to them.

Leverkusen’s scoreline in their next game wasn’t as forgiving. They lost at home to Hoffenheim, which was especially bad since they took the lead on the afternoon. It was a rough showing from both sides, but some iffy defending, and quality finishing from the opposition, cost them.

They will need a response, and it will need to be quick. While Die Werkself aren’t expected to be genuine title-challengers, the goal is to maintain their place in the Champions League, or at least some sort of European competition. If they are beaten this Saturday, then things are going to look really bad for Ten Hag and company.

Team newsBayer have a number of injury concerns of their own, with Exequiel Palacios, Jeanuël Belocian, Jonas Hofmann, Malik Tillman, and Martin Terrier set to miss out.

Predicted lineupsFlekken, Quansah, Tapsoba, Akpoguma, Arthur, Andrich, Garcia, Grimado, Maza, Schick, Tella