Werder Bremen vs Mainz Preview & Prediction | 2023-24 German Bundesliga
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THE FACTS
When is Werder Bremen vs Mainz on and what time does it start? Werder Bremen vs Mainz will take place on Saturday 2nd September, 2023 – 14:30 (UK)
Where can I get tickets for Werder Bremen vs Mainz? Visit each club’s official website for the latest ticket information
What channel is Werder Bremen vs Mainz on in the UK? Sky Sports have the rights to German Bundesliga matches in the UK so it is worth checking their schedule for Werder Bremen vs Mainz
Where can I stream Werder Bremen vs Mainz in the UK? If televised on Sky Sports, Werder Bremen vs Mainz can be streamed live on the Sky Go app
THE LOWDOWN
WERDER BREMEN
It’s safe to say that this has been a week that Werder Bremen fans would like to forget in a hurry. For starters, they remain without a single point to their name in season’s Bundesliga, having fallen to a 1-0 defeat away at Freiburg in agonising circumstances, conceding a winning goal in second-half added time, consigning them to the bottom of the table on goal difference.
But it got worse for supporters in the week following the sale of star striker Niclas Fullkrug to Borussia Dortmund. The 30-year-old finished joint-top scorer in last season’s Bundesliga with 16 goals and will be a huge miss for Werder going forward.
MAINZ
Whilst Mainz did get their first point on the board this campaign vs Eintracht Frankfurt in their most recent game, Bo Svensson will have been furious that his side couldn’t hold on for three at home against a side reduced to ten just after the hour mark.
Jae-sung Lee opened the scoring for the hosts after 25 minutes, a lead which they held right up to the 91st minute when Omar Marmoush equalised for Eintracht. Converting opportunities is something that needs to be worked on from a Mainz’s perspective, having had 12 shots, six of them on target.
THE TEAM NEWS
WERDER BREMEN
Polish international Dawid Kownacki is expected to be the man tasked to fill the Fullkrug shaped hole missing from the Werder Bremen frontline, partnering Marvin Ducksch up top. Still, the hosts must wait to have Felix Agu and Naby Keita available with both still sideline through knee and groin injuries respectively.
PREDICTED XI (3-5-2): Pavlenka; Pieper, Stark, Friedl; Weiser, Stage, Lynen, Bittencourt, Jung; Kownacki, Ducksch
UNAVAILABLE: Agu (Injured), Keita (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
MAINZ
Ludovic Ajorque is out with a thigh problem, whilst fellow forward Jonathan Burkardt is also missing due to a knee injury. The visiting side are also without both goalkeeper Maxim Letsch and right-back Silvan Widmer.
PREDICTED XI (3-4-3): Zentner; Hanche-Olsen, van den Berg, Fernandes; Caci, Barreiro, Kohr, Mwene; Lee, Weiper, Onisiwo
UNAVAILABLE: Ajorque (Injured), Burkardt (Injured), Letsch (Injured), Widmer (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
THE PREDICTION
You can’t help but feel that this is a worrying time for Werder Bremen, still pointless and now without the striker who played such a key role in ensuring they weren’t part of the relegation scrap last season. They finished 2022-23 poorly and have carried that bad form into the new campaign. Mainz may well be in a position to take full advantage, provided their backline can maintain a high level of stability and avoid any individual errors. It would be no surprise if this proved another frustrating afternoon for Werder and a shrewd move may be to utilise the double chance market and back Mainz to gain at least a point, if not all three.
TIP: DOUBLE CHANCE – DRAW/MAINZ
