Werder Bremen vs Bayer Leverkusen

Out-of-sorts Werder Bremen welcome an improving Bayer Leverkusen side to the Weserstadion, desperately looking to pick up their first Bundesliga points in two months.

Since defeating fellow relegation strugglers Arminia Bielefeld 2-0 away from home in early March, Werder Bremen have suffered seven consecutive Bundesliga losses, a sequence that saw them slip to just a single point clear of the drop zone. Werder’s goal difference from that disastrous seven-game stretch reads -14 (GF:4, GA:18), with 61.11% of their goals conceded in the spread of matches coming before half-time. At home, ‘Die Werderaner’ have gone from four consecutive Bundesliga games without defeat (W2, D2) to four losses in a row, three of which have seen them concede 2+ first-half goals. Florian Kohfeldt’s men now come up against a Leverkusen side they have lost to in their last two top-flight H2Hs as hosts by an aggregate score of 10-3, conceding 2+ goals in both halves on each occasion.

On the other hand, Leverkusen sealed a 3-1 home victory over Eintracht Frankfurt last time out and are now looking to post back-to-back Bundesliga wins for the first time since December. ‘Die Werkself’ have recorded three triumphs in their last five Bundesliga fixtures (D1, L1), as many as they had in their previous 14 in the competition (W3, D3, L8). Since the turn of the year, the visitors have picked up just a single win in their eight away Bundesliga games (D2, L5), having drawn a blank in each of their last three league trips. If they fail to score here, it will be the first time since 1990 that Bayer have gone four consecutive away league games without netting. Interestingly, each of Leverkusen’s 23 top-flight goals scored this calendar year have arrived from open play, which probably best highlights their attacking potential.