Crasht Füllkrug his own farewell at the Weser?
On Saturday evening, there will be a real top match in the Bundesliga on the Weser. At least if you take the table for the second half of the season as a yardstick for the clash between Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund. In the isolated ranking of the still relatively young second half of the season, both the men from the Osterdeich and BVB are in the top four. Only Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart have collected more points in the second half of the season than SVW and Borussia, who also have two of the most stable defenses in the German top flight at the moment
It is all the more surprising that in the run-up to the Werder Bremen v Dortmund clash, odds of 1.70 are still being offered for a maximum of three goals during the match. It’s quite possible that this weekend’s match will be as tough as the one in the first half of the season, when Black & Yellow narrowly prevailed 1-0 at home
Of course, Niclas Füllkrug, who scored for Werder in the previous season and secured the top scorer’s crown in the green and white jersey, will be a particular focus of attention in this clash. Although the in-form international is looking forward to the reunion with his old colleagues, he also wants to improve his own record. Between Werder Bremen and Dortmund, a prediction on Füllkrug scoring a goal definitely seems to be an option. We also recommend the Bwin “Beat the legend” campaign, in which you can place your own bets against former Arsenal star Robert Pires and win great cash prizes
Werder Bremen – Statistics & current form
A new sense of entitlement has recently taken hold at SV Werder Bremen. Previously, the team’s objective was to secure their place in the league at an early stage or to have a relatively carefree season in a secure mid-table position, but now those responsible around sporting director Clemens Fritz are suddenly dreaming of “being an international player” again. Although the Green-Whites would be well advised to look to the near future with humility after a difficult few years, the constellation in the table certainly allows them to look towards Europe.
The men from the Weser currently occupy eighth place in the standings, three points behind seventh place, which would even entitle them to participate in the Europa Conference League if Bayer Leverkusen were to win the DFB Cup. In the race for international business, however, the last two weekends have seen some serious setbacks. First, SV Werder struggled to a lucky draw against bottom-placed Darmstadt, before losing the direct duel against Hoffenheim, who are currently seventh, 2-1 last Sunday. If the northern Germans do not manage to improve their performance on Saturday, there is much to suggest that the odds on an away win between Werder Bremen and Dortmund will come true
Werder Bremen want to give the next top team a leg up
Werder Bremen’s sobering record in Saturday evening matches does not inspire much confidence in this regard, as the Green-Whites have lost six of their last seven league games, which kicked off at 6:30pm on Saturday, and have also won just one of their last four home games in the German top flight and have struggled in attack recently. Marvin Ducksch and Co. have scored no more than one goal in eight of the last nine matchdays. If Bremen therefore want to leave something countable in their own stadium against BVB, they will need another good defensive performance
The fact that the men from the Osterdeich have the third-best defense in the German top flight in the entire second half of the season with a total of six goals conceded and have already given some of the favorites in 2024 a run for their money gives hope in this regard. Against RB Leipzig (1:1) and FC Bayern (1:0), for example, they picked up four out of a possible six points. It remains to be seen whether they can do the same this weekend against BVB, who have a slightly different approach. The fact is that when predicting the outcome of the game between Werder Bremen and Dortmund, it must be taken into account that the Hanseatic side have only won one of their last eleven home games in the Bundesliga against their fearsome opponents.
Predicted Werder Bremen line-up:
Dortmund – Statistics & current form
Borussia Dortmund’s participation in the 2024/25 Champions League is hanging by a thread. Although BVB still hold one of the coveted tickets for next season’s top flight in their own hands in fourth place, the starting position is anything but comfortable with only a one-point lead over RB Leipzig. Even in fifth place, however, there would still be hope of participating in the CL if the German teams continue to impress in the current European Cup year and secure an additional starting place in the new format of the most important club competition at international level.
However, the Black & Yellows, who were confirmed as the second German representative for the new FIFA Club World Cup on Wednesday following RB Leipzig’s elimination against Real Madrid, definitely do not want to rely on that. Head coach Edin Terzic’s team are much more concerned with collecting enough points to defend their top-four position. Last week, they did this quite well with a 1-0 away win at Union Berlin at the Alte Försterei. The aim now is to bag the next three points away from home on Saturday evening
Füllkrug follows in Haaland’s footsteps at BVB
Borussia’s good away record is one of the reasons for a Werder Bremen vs Dortmund prediction. Looking back at the last 15 home matches in the Bundesliga, there has only been one defeat. Terzic’s side have not lost any of their last seven Bundesliga matches at home. The last time such a streak was achieved was in 2012/13 under Jürgen Klopp. The fact that BVB have only conceded one goal in their five away games in 2024 and have the second-best defense in the Bundesliga with five goals conceded after the winter break underlines the reigning runners-up’s good chances of winning, which are also reflected in the three-way odds of all bookmakers’ betting apps.
Another positive aspect to mention is that the Black & Yellows’ personnel situation has completely eased. Compared to the previous week, when the permanently injured Karim Adeyemi of all people scored the decisive goal at Union, Donyell Malen has even returned to the team after suspension. With five goals in the second half of the season, the Dutchman is one of Borussia’s guarantors of success in 2024.
The other attacking life insurance is Niclas Füllkrug, who is following in the footsteps of Erling Haaland. While the Manchester City star scored 27 times in his first 22 Bundesliga games for Borussia, Füllkrug has already scored 19 goals in the league. Bet365 is offering an attractive 2.50 on Saturday for “Lücke” to score at least once again
Predicted Dortmund line-up:
Werder Bremen – Dortmund head-to-head comparison / H2H result
In Germany’s top flight, Borussia Dortmund have only ever won more games against Eintracht Frankfurt than against Werder Bremen. In the recent past, too, the pendulum between these two clubs has usually swung in BVB’s favor. The Black & Yellows have won four of the last five direct BL duels. Borussia have now been unbeaten at the Weser for seven attempts (5-2-0). The reigning runners-up have lost just one of their last eleven away games at the Osterdeich. As already mentioned, the first leg ended 1-0 to Dortmund, for whom Julian Brandt, a former Werder player, scored the only goal of the day
Werder Bremen – Dortmund betting tip
Even before the kick-off of this match on Saturday evening, things will get very emotional in the sold-out Weserstadion. There will be a belated farewell for Niclas Füllkrug from the Werder management. Last year’s SVW attacker, who has quickly settled in and become a permanent fixture in the Ruhrpott, will receive warm applause from the home fans, but will then do his utmost to make a decisive appearance on the pitch in a black and yellow shirt.
In addition to a potential Werder Bremen vs Dortmund tip on Füllkrug as the goalscorer, there are other approaches that have emerged after detailed analysis. For example, we do not expect as many goals as the bookmakers. The under 3.5 could go through, especially as two of the best defenses in the second half of the season meet and the first leg was also decided by just one goal
We even believe that the odds on the away win are of great interest ahead of the Werder Bremen v Dortmund match. On the one hand, because the Hanseatic side have had two weaker games recently and have scored the maximum in eight of their last nine BL games. On the other hand, because of BVB’s strength on the road, having conceded just one goal in five away games in 2024 and also scored 17 of a possible 21 points from their last seven matches on the Weser.
The highest odds on the visitors’ treble are 1.87 and are offered by Bwin.
