Both sides will be searching for their first Bundesliga victories of the season when Werder Bremen host Mainz 05 on Saturday.
Werder Bremen sit rock-bottom of the table heading into the weekend's action after losing their opening games, while Mainz have drawn one and lost one.
Match preview
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Having began life back in the Bundesliga with a bang during the early months of last season, which came after their instant return to Germany's top flight, Werder Bremen appear to be stuck in a period of extended poor form at present.
Indeed, Ole Werner's side have only collected nine points from their last 17 league games dating back to early February, with their 1-0 defeat away to Freiburg last time out their 10th loss in their last 14 matches.
Die Werderaner came so close to securing an impressive point against their Europa League opponents, but Maximilian Philipp - who ironically spent last season on loan at Werder Bremen - broke his former club's hearts by scoring a dramatic winner in the sixth minute of injury-time.
As such, Werner and his players will be desperate to bounce back with a positive result against Mainz on Saturday, especially having been knocked out of the DFB-Pokal by Viktoria Koln, too. Four defeats from four games heading into the international break would surely signal a season of battling against survival.
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Mainz, on the other hand, should have no real concerns about that prospect having finished in the top half in each of their two full seasons under Bo Svensson's management, with the 44-year-old rescuing them from relegation after his appointment in January 2021.
However, with all of the teams that finished above them in the table spending more money than them except Freiburg so far during the summer transfer window, Svensson will be acutely aware that making lightning strike three times in a row may prove very difficult to pull off.
Die Nullfunfer were thrashed 4-1 by Union Berlin on the opening matchday before claiming a respectable 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, although given that Mainz had led 1-0 at the time of Ansgar Knauff's 61st-minute dismissal, Omar Marmoush's injury-time equaliser would have come as a major disappointment to them.
Given their opponents' poor start to the season themselves, and much lengthier run of sub-par form, Svensson and his players will sense an excellent opportunity to record their first league win of the season when they arrive at Weserstadion on Saturday.
Team News
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Werder Bremen will remain without their new midfielder Naby Keita due to a groin injury, with the former Liverpool man hoping to make his debut against Heidenheim after the international break.
Felix Agu is still sidelined with a knee issue, but Milos Veljkovic should recover from illness after missing the defeat to Freiburg, and he may slot straight back into the middle of the hosts' defensive unit.
Mainz, meanwhile, will travel without Ludovic Ajorque, Maxim Leitsch, Silvan Widmer and Jonathan Burkardt due to injury, severely limiting Svensson's options as a result.
However, the former Denmark defender will hope to have Karim Onisiwo available once again after he missed his side's draw against Freiburg with flu, and he may join Stefan Bell in terms of being re-integrated into the visitors' starting XI.
Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:
Pavlenka; Pieper, Veljkovic, Friedl; Weiser, Stage, Gross, Bittencourt, Jung; Fullkrug, Ducksch
Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:
Zentner; Fernandes, Van De Berg, Bell; Mwene, Barreiro, Stach, Caci; Richter, Lee; Onisiwo
We say: Werder Bremen 1-1 Mainz 05
Neither side are likely to be particularly confident after failing to win either of their opening two matches apiece, and there could be an element of cancelling each other out given that both managers adopt similar formations.
However, there is enough quality in both teams' offensive units to produce an entertaining enough encounter, and we can envisage a share of the spoils between two sides who should have enough about them to avoid being automatically relegated.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Brett Curtis
