Getting back on track together | OneFootball

SVW won 4-2 in Wolfsburg earlier this season (Photo: W.DE).

Match preview ahead of home game vs. VfL Wolfsburg

As SV Werder Bremen prepare to welcome VfL Wolfsburg to the Weserstadion on Saturday, 1st March (15:30 CET), the team are well aware that they will need to perform as a united front if they hope to take points from the Wolves. SVW won 4-2 in Wolfsburg earlier this season, but know that they will face a tough challenge this weekend, with VfL in strong form on their travels in particular.

Marvin Ducksch picked up a muscle injury in Bielefeld (Photo: W.DE).

Team news: Captain Marco Friedl is making good progress in his recovery but it not yet fit enough to feature this weekend. The same goes for Marvin Ducksch, who suffered a muscle injury in Bielefeld in midweek. The hope is that he will be able to return in time to face Leverkusen. Romano Schmid remains sidelined with an illness, while Michael Zetterer, Skelly Alvero and Marco Grüll are also all doubts due to illness. “We’ll have to see whether they’re able to play on Saturday,” said Werner. “I’m optimistic, but I can’t say for certain.”

Ole Werner on the opponent: “They have a lot of quality, both on an individual level and as a team. They have made progress as a team since we faced them earlier this season and always look for the most direct route to goal. We need to be disciplined in defence while also finding opportunities to make the most of our possession. We also need to make sure that we have enough people behind the ball at all times, because they are very strong in transition."

Hasenhüttl’s successful debut

Previous meetings: These two sides have met 53 times to date in the top flight, with both Werder and Wolfsburg winning 21 of these meetings (D11). Ole Werner’s side emerged victorious in Wolfsburg earlier this season, as goals from Mitchell Weiser, Felix Agu, Marvin Ducksch and Marco Grüll overturned Tiago Tomas’ opener. Joakim Mæhle was able to get a second goal back for the Wolves in a 4-2 defeat.

Hasenhüttl’s VfL debut: Wolfsburg head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl’s first game with the side was at the Weserstadion on 30th March 2024. He was able to get his tenure at the club off to winning ways after a 2-0 triumph back then. After helping the Wolves to secure safety last season, they struggled to find their form at the start of the 2024/25 campaign, winning just one of their first five matches. Since then, the Wolves have experienced a massive turnaround in fortunes under the Austrian, and are one of the sides competing for the European spots. The Wolves are currently in third place in the league’s away-form table, although they — like Werder — were eliminated from the DFB-Pokal in mid-week (1-o loss in Leipzig).