Borussia Dortmund vs. Werder Bremen preview: Hosts keen to maintain top form
· Yahoo Sports
Borussia Dortmund
Raising the curtain on the Bundesliga's return after the international break, Borussia Dortmund take on Werder Bremen under the lights on Friday night. Kick-off at the Westfalenstadion is set for 20:30 CET.
With four wins from four thus far, Niko Kovač's side will be hoping to maintain their position at the top of the table. The fact they've managed to keep three clean sheets in that period underlines their defensive solidity.
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One slight concern for BVB is the spate of injuries they've encountered in the last two weeks. Julian Ryerson, Daniel Svensson, Niko Schlotterbeck and Kostas Karetsas all have question marks over their potential availability.
Fortunately, not only do the Westphalian side boast an unbeaten run on Friday nights spanning over 20 years, they've also only lost to Bremen twice on home soil in their last 10 meetings in Germany's topflight.
Team news:
As it stands, Emre Can (ACL) and Filippo Mane (thigh) are BVB's only confirmed absentees. Otherwise, Kovač will make a final call today if any of Niko Schlotterbeck, Daniel Svensson, Julian Ryerson or Kostas Karetsas can feature.
Werder Bremen
Werder Bremen come into this fixture in a relatively healthy place, with 8 points to their name. They're joined by Bayer Leverkusen, Mainz, SV Elversberg and fourth-placed FC Augsburg in the standings.
Prior to the interruption of the international break, Bremen stunned Augsburg by coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in mid-September. The victory was largely thanks to the brilliance of Marco Grüll with his goal and two assists.
Their bid to keep up some momentum during the two-week layoff fell flat on its face however. A chastening 7-0 loss to FC Twente – albeit only a friendly – will be of some concern for Daniel Thioune and his players.
Die Werderaner also suffered some casualties in the process, adding to their pain. Felix Agu picked up another muscular injury, adding to his misfortune in recent seasons. While the likes of Karl Hein will likely be be fit just in time.
Team news:
Felix Agu (calf) alongside midfielders, Skelly Alvero (calf), Jens Stage (thigh) and Senne Lynen (groin) are all unavailable. Ex-BVB talent Justin Njinmah (thigh) will also likely sit out, while Keke Topp (ACL) won't feature.
Click here to see our predicted starting lineups for Borussia Dortmund vs. Werder Bremen.