Werder vs Dortmund Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

Preview

Haydn Cunningham Oct 22, 2015 @ 02:42 pm

Werder Bremen stopped the rot after finally ending a 5 match losing streak by winning 3-1 at Mainz thanks to a brace from Anthony Ujah. Dortmund kept pace with Bayern Munich as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a second hat-trick in as many games in a 5-1 win at home to Augsburg.

Bremen are a dangerous opponent when travelling as they’ve scored in 24 of the previous 27 games in all competitions away from home and Mainz were the latest recipient. Viktor Skripnik’s side were on an awful run and a mistake by the Mainz goalkeeper gifted Anthony Ujah the chance to put Bremen ahead. Ujah scored his 2^nd of the game just 4 minutes later before there was still time for Fin Bartels to make it 3-0 on the stroke of half time. Bremen stepped off the gas in the second half but Ujah’s brace against his former club proved decisive. Skripnik arrived on round 10 of the Bundesliga last season and Bremen won their first game of the season and another defeat against Mainz would’ve been a new record for the club but fortunately they didn’t lose a 6^th game in a row.

Dortmund made light work of basement boys Augsburg with a 5-1 demolition job. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a hat-trick and Marco Reus scored a brace. The Gabon centre forward has now struck 20 goals in 17 matches in all competitions and alongside Reus, Shinji Kagawa and Henrikh Mkhitaryan they’re looking one of the most deadly attacking quartets in European football. Thomas Tuchel decided to drop Julian Weigl from first team action with Sven Bender partnering Ilkay Gundogan in central midfield and both dictated the pace of the game. With Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, he could very well be targeting some of his former players and Tuchel will want to keep everyone settled at the club including Bender who has had very little game time this season.

Aubameyang is the current joint top goal scorer in the Bundesliga on 13 alongside Robert Lewandowski and Aubameyang has only failed to score in 1 league match this season (Mainz). Dortmund have won 7 of the last 8 games against Bremen and have scored 11 goals in 3 games at the Weserstadion. Given that Bremen have kept 0 clean sheets this season the Dortmund front line may well fancy to continue their goal scoring sprees.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has missed Dortmund’s previous 2 games against Qabala and Augsburg. It is believed political unrest in his native Armenia is the reason behind his absence. Marcel Schmelzer returned from injury at left back against Mainz and his comeback will be greatly received by Thomas Tuchel. Bremen will be looking to get Aron Johansson back to full fitness imminently but after victory against Mainz could remain unchanged.

Werder Bremen

Stats: W-3 L-6 D-1

Recent Form - LLLLW

Dortmund

Stats: W-7 L-1 D-2

Recent Form – DLWWW

Head-to-head record:

Possible Line-ups

Werder Bremen (4-5-1) – Wiedwald, Gebre Selassie, Vestergaard, Galvez, S.Garlic, Bargfrede, Fritz, Junuzovic, Bartels, Grillitsch, Ujah

Dortmund (4-2-3-1) – Burki, Ginter, Hummels, Sokratis, Schmelzer, Gundogan, Wiegl, Reus, Kagawa, Castro, Aubameyang

Injury List/Suspended Players

Werder Bremen – Frode (inj), Johansson (inj), Pavlovic (inj), Yildirim (inj), Zander (inj), Oztunali (inj)
Dortmund – Durm (inj), Sahin (inj)

League Positions