Bundesliga Preview: Werder Bremen – Wolfsburg

Werder Ready To Take On The World

Breathtaking, awe-inspiring, merciless. All these words describe Werder’s comprehensive 6-0 demolition of Freiburg in matchday 13. Now just one point behind Leverkusen, Werder are in pole position to jump into first place before the winter break. Although they have been defeated, unlike their league leading rivals, Werder just might be the Bundesliga’s hottest team at the moment.

Sporting a combination of youth (Mesut Oezil, Marko Marin, Philipp Bargfrede) and seasoned veterans (Torsten Frings, Tim Wiese, Claudio Pizarro), Werder have for the first time in recent memory assembled a team that is as defensively adept as it is offensively potent. Earlier in the season, Wiese came within minutes of setting a new club record for time without conceding a goal, and central defenders Per Mertesacker and Naldo have been unbeatable in defence.

The Werder defence’s solidity, combined with Frings’ coverage, has provided enough of a platform for the midfield and forwards to run freely through opponents’ backlines. Oezil has emerged as the league’s best playmaker, following a stunning individual performance in Freiburg. He had his hand in five of his team’s six goals, and now has six strikes and five assists to his name. Marko Marin has continued his development and although he tires and usually requires substitution within 75 minutes, his mazy dribbling has added a new and uncommon dynamic to the Werder attack. And then there’s Aaron Hunt, who earned his first international cap in Germany’s recent draw with the Ivory Coast.

Werder’s quality from deep has also provided Bremen’s strikers with an abundance of goalscoring opportunities. Until sustaining an injury in late October, Claudio Pizarro was in scintillating form, and was level with current league leader Stefan Kiessling who at the time had six goals. In Pizarro’s absence, Hugo Almeida, Marin, Oezil and Hunt have stepped up to score a flurry of goals. As a result, Werder have gone unbeaten in 20 matches, and are prepared to face Wolfsburg with utmost confidence.

Wolfe At A Crossroads

It’s been a tough week for Wolfsburg. Last Saturday, the reigning champions equalised twice against Nuernberg before being downed at the death. To make matters worse, Wolfsburg blew a one-goal lead away to CSKA Moscow in Wednesday’s Champions League. Last year’s domestic golden boot winner Grafite has been in such poor form, coach Armin Veh sent him to Brazil for a vacation.

And to boot, striker Edin Dzeko reiterated his wishes to leave the Volkswagen Arena at the end of the current campaign. With a month to go in 2009, Wolfburg are out of the DFB Pokal, dangerously close to being eliminated from the Champions League, and eighth in the Bundesliga. Needless to say, the situation in Lower Saxony is far from settling.

In Bremen, a fearsome challenge awaits. In order to have any chance of winning, Wolfsburg must be willing to combat their opponents in midfield, particularly on their defending right side where Oezil, Marin and Hunt will undoubtedly be up to their usual tricks. For this reason, it is unlikely that Ashkan Dejagah, who scored and won a penalty in last week’s outing, will feature from the start in right midfield. Instead, Makoto Hasebe will probably get the call, and along with anchor Sascha Riether will be charged with the task of nullifying Bremen’s leftward attack.

Ultimately, the most pressure will be on playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic and strikers Dzeko and Grafite, who will undoubtedly need to produce at least a goal if Wolfsburg are to take anything from tomorrow’s pivotal match.

With a win, Wolfsburg could advance to within two points of the league’s hottest team. A loss, however, and it could signal the decline of the team that so recently was among Europe’s finest.

FORM GUIDE

Werder Bremen

21 Nov v Freiburg (A) WON 6-0 (Bundesliga)

8 Nov v Borussia Dortmund (H) DREW 1-1 (Bundesliga)

5 Nov v Austria Vienna (H) WON 2-0 (Europa League)

31 Oct v Nuernberg (A) DREW 2-2 (Bundesliga)

28 Oct v Kaiserslautern (H) WON 3-0 (DFB Pokal)

Wolfsburg

25 Nov v CSKA Moscow (A) LOST 2-1 (Champions League)

21 Nov v Nuernberg (H) WON 3-2 (Bundesliga)

7 Nov v Hoffenheim (A) WON 2-1 (Bundesliga)

3 Nov v Besiktas (A) WON 3-0 (Champions League)

31 Oct v Mainz (H) DREW 3-3 (Bundesliga)

TEAM NEWS

Werder Bremen

Thomas Schaaf will be without Tim Borowski (knee), Claudio Pizarro (ankle), and Christian Vander (abdominal muscle strain). Dusko Tosic and Jurica Vranjes have also been omitted from the squad.

Possible Starting XI: Wiese – Fritz, Mertesacker, Naldo, Boenisch – Frings – Bargfrede, Hunt – Oezil – Almeida, Marin

Wolfsburg

Midfielder Josue (suspension for accumulated yellow cards) and Jonathan Santana (hamstring) will be unable to feature as part of Armin Veh’s sqiad.

Possible Starting XI: Benaglio – Pekarik, Madlung, Costa, Schaefer – Hasebe, Riether, Gentner – Misimovic – Dzeko, Grafite

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Mesut Oezil (Werder Bremen)

Scored a goal, earned a penalty, and provided a hat trick of assists in last week’s demolition of Freiburg. The 21-year old is absolutely on fire and looks to be the league’s best player. Tomorrow, he’ll offer precise, inventive passing, clever dribbling and positional versatility to Bremen’s attack.
 
Zvjezdan Misimovic (Wolfsburg)

Wolfsburg’s answer to Oezil is playmaker Misimovic. The Bosnian was the league’s best playmaker in 2008-09, providing 20 assists and playing a major role in his team’s record-setting offence. He’s been a bit off form since Bosnia crashed lost their World Cup play-off against Portugal, but Wolfsburg’s success will depend on his form.

PREDICTION

It will be a slugfest, but I expect Werder to win this one. Both teams have enough offensive potential to score, but the Bremen defence has been rock-solid this year, whereas that of Wolfsburg has been anything but. Expect Oezil Marin, Dzeko and Misimovic to star in an open match of free-flowing football.

Werder Bremen 4-2 Wolfsburg

Clark Whitney, Goal.com