Bundesliga Match Preview: Borussia Dortmund Visit Werder Bremen

Surely it won’t be seven, right? Borussia Dortmund have come flying out of the gate in 2023, winning all six matches in all competitions so far, and could win their seventh straight with a victory against Werder Bremen tomorrow.

I don’t know about you guys, but I had completely memory-holed the reverse fixture for tomorrow’s match, and after looking it up, I now realize why. The reverse fixture was undisputedly Dortmund’s worst collapse of the season and one of the worst ones I can remember. Werder Bremen defeated BVB 3-2, amounting one of the most impressive comebacks of the last decade of German football:

Werder Bremen haven’t just survived thus far in the Bundesliga season— they’ve outright thrived. Led by Niclas Füllkrug, Mitchell Weiser, and BVB academy product Marvin Ducksch, Werder have amassed a very respectable season so far. With 27 points barely halfway through the season, Werder are closer to Europa League qualification than they are to relegation.

Meanwhile, BVB have fought their way back into the title race, and with Bayern Munich playing lowly Bochum, all three points will be vital tomorrow. Let’s take a look at which player Dortmund should look out for the most:

Player to Watch: Niclas Füllkrug

It hasn’t all been a one-man show at Werder Bremen, but if there’s one man to credit for Werder’s success so far this season, it’s the aforementioned Niclas Füllkrug. In his fourth year with Werder Bremen, Füllkrug has completely erupted, turning into one of the best goalscorers in the Bundesliga. He currently leads the entire league with 13 goals, and with his 3 assists is tied with Jamal Musiala for 2nd in the league in goal contributions. His goalscoring record was so noteworthy that he became a surprise call up to the German National Team for the World Cup in Qatar, where he scored two goals.

A very prototypical striker, Füllkrug can score from anywhere, but he makes his living finding space in high-danger areas. Dortmund’s center backs will have their hands full tomorrow.

Predicted Lineup

Unfortunately for Edin Terzic, he might be forced into using Raphael Guerreiro tomorrow. That’s because Marius Wolf, who Terzic has leant on in recent weeks to play in either full back position, injured himself in Wednesday’s DFB Pokal match against VfL Bochum. While Terzic chose to bring on Nico Schlotterbeck and have Niklas Süle play at right back in that match, he may opt to put Süle back in the back line. Meanwhile, Karim Adeyemi will have to serve a suspension after he collected his fifth yellow card of the season against Freiburg, so I have Jamie Bynoe-Gittens starting in his place.

In midfield, Edin Terzic seems to love Emre Can, so he’ll probably start again. Jude Bellingham and Julian Brandt are driving BVB’s offensive play right now, so they must start, although I hope they would get at least some rest before the Champions League next week.

Score Prediction

I feel that BVB have been playing with fire in recent performances, so I’m going to predict a 1-1 draw just so I can’t jinx anything. I hope Sebastien Haller scores another goal!