Werder vs Stuttgart: Match Preview and Prediction

Date: November 30, 2024 - 16:30
Location: Bremen, Weserstadion
Competition: Bundesliga 2024-25, Matchday 12

Suspended: None

Injured: Felix Agu, Keke Topp – Dan-Axel Zagadou, Luka Raimund, Denis Undav, El-Bilal Touré

Doubtful: Jens Stage, Oliver Burke – Amin Al-Dakhil, Jamie Leveling

Werder Bremen

Recently, Ole Werner's team has displayed somewhat peculiar statistics – without a victory at home but boasting four wins and a draw in their five away matches. However, just before the November international break, the "Musicians" finally delighted their fans by defeating Holstein Kiel 2-1 at the Weserstadion. The winning goal came in the 89th minute from substitute Oliver Burke, who had last found the net in the Bundesliga at the beginning of the 2022-2023 season – equalizing at 90+5 in a home match against Stuttgart and later securing a legendary 3-2 victory in Dortmund against Borussia. Following loan spells at Millwall and Birmingham, he has proven to be invaluable to his parent club once again.

It's worth noting that a week before their first home victory, Werder suffered their first away defeat of the season in a shocking 1-4 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach. The "Foals" established their dominance in the first half, going on to lead by four goals, although Keke Topp managed to score his debut Bundesliga goal later. Last weekend, Ole Werner's side failed to score in an away match for the first time since April and suffered another away defeat, this time to a strong Eintracht Frankfurt side, losing 0-1. Thus, their ambitions of climbing the table have been postponed for now.

Stuttgart

The Swabians took a heavy blow this week, suffering a painful 1-5 loss to Red Star Belgrade, casting doubt on their chances of progressing to the Champions League knockout stages. This marked their third defeat in five Champions League fixtures. Previously, they held their own against Real Madrid, losing 1-3 in Spain, and earlier this month, they lost 0-2 at home to Atalanta. Additionally, this marked their second unexpected loss of points; in the second round, Sebastian Hoeneß's team failed to secure a win at home against Sparta Prague (1-1). Despite this, Stuttgart's only Champions League victory came in Turin, where they rightly claimed a 1-0 win over Juventus. Upcoming matches against Young Boys and Slovan will be crucial, especially with PSG looming in the final round, a team that currently shares the same point total as Stuttgart, both at risk of missing out on the playoffs.

In the Bundesliga, things are also not looking bright for Sebastian Hoeneß's side. After 11 rounds, the Red-Whites have accumulated 16 points, sitting ninth in the table, tied on points with Mainz and Union Berlin. After starting the season with a loss in Freiburg, Stuttgart went on a five-match unbeaten streak but managed only two wins during this phase, overcoming both Borussia teams – Monchengladbach away 3-1 and Dortmund at home 5-1. In their next five matches, Stuttgart garnered two fewer points, enduring a 0-4 loss to Bayern in Munich and a 2-3 defeat at home to Eintracht, while drawing 0-0 at Bayer Leverkusen and beating two relegation contenders, Holstein (2-1) and Bochum (2-0) last weekend. A stunning winner against the Ruhr outfit came courtesy of Chris Führich, while 20-year-old forward Justin Diehl scored his debut Bundesliga goal.

Possible Line-ups: Werder vs Stuttgart

For Werder, left-back Felix Agu and forward Keke Topp are injured, and there are doubts over the participation of midfielder Jens Stage and forward Oliver Burke. On the other hand, Stuttgart's Dan-Axel Zagadou and Luka Raimund are out, alongside forwards El-Bilal Touré and Denis Undav, one of Hoeneß's key players. There are also uncertainties regarding the involvement of center-back Amin Al-Dakhil and winger Jamie Leveling.

Author's Prediction: Werder vs Stuttgart

Werder has won just one of their five previous home matches this season, and that was against a relegation zone team. However, they have already managed to take points from Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen at the Weserstadion. Stuttgart, in turn, has won only one of their five away matches in the league. Historically, their travels to the Weserden have rarely been fruitful in the 21st century. With squad difficulties, fatigue from the Champions League match, and Stuttgart’s not-so-impressive current form, along with a positive head-to-head record for Werder, all signs point towards a non-loss for the home side in the upcoming clash. My most likely outcome for the match is a high-scoring draw, something like 2-2.