Preview: Werder Bremen vs. SV Darmstadt 98 - prediction, team news, lineups

With the two clubs at complete opposite ends of the form table, the hosts will be expectant of another victory against a side destined for relegation.

Match preview

Hitting form at an ideal time in the season, Werder are now well in the hunt for a place in Europe next season under Ole Werner.

Even if the final European spot goes to the DFB-Pokal winner and not seventh, Werder are looking like they can hunt down Eintracht Frankfurt in sixth.

Only Bayer Leverkusen have more points in the last nine games than Bremen's 18, as they have now won four of their last five Bundesliga matches.

That run started with an eye-catching win away to Bayern Munich, before also getting the better of fellow European-chasers Freiburg.

Two composed and comfortable wins then followed against relegation-threatened duo Mainz and Koln, moving Werder up to seventh.

A superior goal difference saw them leapfrog Freiburg last weekend, and the gap between themselves and Frankfurt is now just four points.

Given their current form, it is scarcely believable to think that Darmstadt won the reverse 4-2 back in October, but that result feels like a lifetime ago now.

Darmstadt beat Augsburg in the fixture immediately after that success over Bremen, but they have failed to record a victory since, as a 2-1 defeat to Stuttgart extended their winless run to 15 last weekend.

Collecting just five points from a possible 45 in that time, manager Torsten Lieberknecht will have been extremely disappointed that his side could not get anything from that clash with Stuttgart, considering their opponents played the entire second half a man light.

It will not get any easier for the visitors either, as they now face one of the league's most in-form sides, and they have RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich to come back-to-back in March.

Sitting 10 points adrift of Borussia Monchengladbach just above the drop zone, it appears the best Darmstadt can hope for is to close the four-point gap to Koln, who currently vacate the relegation playoff spot.

However, one damning statistic is that no team with so few points at this stage of Bundesliga season has ever survived, as Darmstadt have just 12 from 22 games.

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

D

W

W

W

L

W

SV Darmstadt 98 Bundesliga form:

L

D

L

L

D

L

Team News

Werder's Marco Friedl faces several weeks on the sidelines after scans revealed he has suffered a minor ligament tear, meaning he joins fellow defenders Niklas Stark and Milos Veljkovic out injured.

Veljkovic is on the mend following a serious knee injury, along with Amos Pieper, who broke his ankle earlier this season, but neither are close to a return yet.

Stark meanwhile, is further along in his recovery, but both he and Isak Hansen-Aaroen will miss this encounter.

Darmstadt could welcome back a large number of players from injury and illness here, as Lieberknecht has revealed only Fraser Hornby and Clemens Riedel remain out.

That means Jannik Muller, Tobias Kempe and Gerrit Holtmann are all available after brief absences, and Mathias Honsak could feature after a calf issue.

The game will come too soon for Braydon Manu though, as he is still lacking match fitness, but Tim Skarke will return after serving a suspension last weekend against Stuttgart.

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:

Zetterer; Malatini, Gross, Jung; Weiser, Lynen, Schmid, Stage, Agu; Nijnmah, Ducksch

SV Darmstadt 98 possible starting lineup:

Schuhen; Zimmermann, Gjasula, Klarer; Bader, Franjic, Holland, Kempe, Karic; Pfeiffer, Skarke

We say: Werder Bremen 3-0 SV Darmstadt 98

A run of 15 games without a win is set to continue here for Darmstadt unless there is a huge shock, given Werder's fine recent form.

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