Matchday in focus: Werder Bremen | OneFootball

Bremen know all about Eintracht’s attacking threat, but also have weapons of their own going forward, including Felix Agu.

Tactics

Bremen currently sit 12th in the Bundesliga standings on 36 points. Head coach Ole Werner tends to prefer a 3-5-2 formation, which flits between a three-man and five-man back line when out of possession. The team’s high-pressing style aims to put opponents under pressure deep in their own half and force mistakes, while they reduce spaces in midfield and make targeted runs forward.

“We’ll need to keep the space behind our defence as small as possible,” said Werner in the build-up to the game, wary of Eintracht’s pace up front. “We will also have to limit the number of mistakes we make in possession, because that can lead to us losing the ball and to counter-attacks. We’ll have to leave men covering when we go forward because it’s normal to lose the ball a few times. Frankfurt won’t be any slower than they were in previous weeks.”

Eintracht head coach Dino Toppmöller is just as wary of Saturday’s opponents: “They have great movement patterns when they attack. Werder are one of the best teams in the Bundesliga in terms of their attacking structure, the way they get forward and link up. They have very good ideas at throw-ins, which is something they focus on a lot. I expect them to try and put us under pressure early on and to be very active, play one-twos, switch play and get crosses into the box.”

Absentees

Milos Veljkovic and Anthony Jung are both doubts for Bremen due to muscular complaints.

Eintracht will be without Kevin Trapp (shin), Elye Wahi (knee), Can Uzun (illness), Junior Dina Ebimbe (illness) and Ansgar Knauff (knee).

One to watch: Felix Agu

Agu grabbed headlines in Bremen’s recent 3-0 away win in Kiel with a spectacular goal. “I didn’t know Felix could shoot like that,” joked captain Marco Friedl afterwards. The 25-year-old Osnabrück native began his career at local club Osnabrücker SC before moving to VfL Osnabrück, where he stayed until joining Bremen in 2020. Agu...

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