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Hannover v Werder Bremen (7.30pm)
Werder Bremen rewarded coach Florian Kohfeldt with a new contract this week lasting until 2021. That’s quite the commitment to make to Kohfeldt, the third coach in a row that Bremen have promoted from within the club. The difference this time to Viktor Skripnik and Alexander Nouri, so say the Bremen hierarchy, will be his personality.
“We have the chance to build something successful here and not always be thinking about staying up. That can’t be our goal. In the next few years we want to be much more successful,” said Kohfeldt after signing his new deal.
They have made a marked improvement under him since he made the step up in October, both in terms of performances and results. Werder have been the third best Bundesliga team in the second half of the season.
Hannover meanwhile have been one of the worst, taking just nine points from eleven games, losing their last five and without a clean sheet in their last thirteen.
They lost 3-2 at home to Leipzig last weekend but finished the game strongly – something that has given coach Andre Breitenreiter encouragement ahead of Werder’s visit.
Bremen had a bit of dodgy keeping from Frankfurt stopper Lukas Hradecky to thank for their 2-1 victory last weekend but they certainly come into this encounter as the form team.
Both teams have important players missing. Hannover’s 21-year-old defender Waldemar Anton is now out with an adductor problem for the rest of the season. Kohfeldt on the other hand is missing two key members of his defence in fullback Ludwig Augustinsson and centre back Niklas Moisander.
Ultimately though you’d expect Bremen to cope better than their hosts.
Raphael's Tips
- Hannover 1, Bremen 2 (8-1, Unibet)
- Belfodil to score first (13-2, Unibet)
- Bremen win (69-50, Unibet)
Munich-born Raphael Honigstein writes about football for Germany’s biggest broadsheet, Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Guardian, ESPNFC and his tips appear here thanks to our football partner at MrFixitsTips, Unibet. They're making a big splash in the UK betting scene and if you join them today you can claim up to £30 in Welcome Bonuses when you deposit and place your first bet.
Munich-born Raphael Honigstein writes about football for Germany’s biggest broadsheet, Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Guardian, ESPNFC and others. He’s a regular pundit on BT Sport’s European Football Show and the author of “Englischer Fussball: A German View of Our Beautiful Game”. His favourite food is Schnitzel, predictably.
