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Werder Bremen v Monchengladbach (Sunday 5pm)
Werder Bremen coach Alexander Nouri said not much should be read into how he started training this week. Then again, when you begin by doing an hour of shooting, it does tell you how blunt the Bremen attack has been of late.
Their last two games have been goalless draws. The latter of those was the Nordderby against Hamburg where Bremen finished as the stronger side but the overall performance reflected the frail confidence of a side yet to win so far this season.
Nouri is not helped either with Max Kruse being out until November with a broken collarbone, with Kruse representing Werder’s greatest goal threat.
Gladbach on the other hand beat Hannover 2-1 before the international break but that was more than a touch fortunate.
With the game poised at 1-1 with two minutes to play, Hannover’s Martin Harnik somehow contrived to hit the bar from two yards out. Despite Thorgan Hazard’s subsequent cool finish from the penalty spot a few minutes later, there’s still much room for improvement from what is a talented squad.
Vincenzo Grifo, who came on and won the injury time penalty against Hannover, could be in line for his first start for Gladbach.
Bremen are likely to be boosted by the return of midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic to the starting line up having only made his first appearance as a substitute against Hamburg last time out.
He’s certainly likely to help Bremen in the goals department, at least when it comes to creating chances. That’s something though that Gladbach usually do well too. With neither side looking particularly stable defensively, this is likely to produce a few goals.
Raph's Tips
- Correct score: Bremen 1, Gladbach 2 (17-2, Unibet)
- First goal: Lars Stindl (6-1, Unibet)
- Over 2.5 goals (13-20, 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.
