Preview: Werder Bremen vs. Borussia Dortmund - prediction, team news, lineups

Werder, meanwhile, have won back-to-back matches to put further ground between themselves and the relegation zone.

Match preview

In truth, after putting 11 points between themselves and Stuttgart in the relegation play-off position with their 2-0 win against them last weekend, nobody associated with Die Werderaner is likely to have any real thoughts about an instant return to Germany's second tier at this stage of proceedings.

Second half strikes from Jens Stage and Marvin Ducksch proved enough to overcome Die Schwaben, and climb back above Borussia Monchengladbach into eighth position in the table in the process.

With Freiburg seven points clear in sixth spot, securing European football appears to be a tall order for Werder, but that was never on the agenda in their first season back in the Bundesliga. After all, they finished second behind Schalke 04 in the second tier last season, yet Schalke find themselves rock-bottom of the table.

As such, there is minimal pressure on Ole Werner's shoulders for the rest of the campaign, even if the 34-year-old will be determined for his players to continue their winning momentum and see where they end up in May.

Dortmund, meanwhile, are on a serious roll themselves, having won all five of their matches in all competitions since returning to action after the World Cup.

With Giovanni Reyna scoring late winners against Augsburg and Mainz 05 in their first two matches back last month, Edin Terzic's side have been more comfortable against Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg, as they ran out 5-1 winners against their top four rivals last weekend.

BVB's life was undoubtedly made easier by Kiliann Sildillia being shown his second yellow card within the opening 17 minutes, but the scoreline was tied 1-1 at half-time before the hosts ran riot at Westfalenstadion. There was a particularly touching moment for Sebastien Haller, who scored his first goal since joining the club last summer after missing most of the season due to being diagnosed with a testicular tumour.

Terzic will be delighted that his side remain in the hunt for three trophies, too, after progressing to the last eight of the DFB-Pokal with a 2-1 win against VfL Bochum in midweek ahead of hosting Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie next week.

In the meantime, though, the 40-year-old will be determined to see his side remain within three points of league leaders Bayern Munich by beating Werder on Saturday, but he will be aware of the difficulty of the match in front of them.

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

L

L

L

L

W

W

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

L

L

W

W

W

W

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

W

W

W

W

W

W

Team News

Werder will be without the suspended Marco Friedl, who received his fifth caution of the season during his side's win against Stuttgart last time out, but Mitchell Weiser is available again after serving his own suspension last time out.

Milos Veljkovic will almost certainly start in his place having been benched by Werner for the last few games, with Niklas Stark likely to shift across in the defensive unit. Jean-Manuel Mbom and Felix Agu remain sidelined by calf and tendon injuries respectively.

Dortmund, meanwhile, will make the trip to Bremen without Abdoulaye Kamara and Mateu Morey due to knee issues, while Thomas Meunier is unlikely to be risked having only recently recovered from a muscle strain.

Karim Adeyemi is suspended after also picking up his fifth booking of the campaign, so Reyna could receive a start on either flank after his recent goalscoring exploits.

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:

Pavlenka; Pieper, Veljkovic, Stark; Weiser, Bittencourt, Groß, Stage, Jung; Füllkrug, Ducksch

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Ryerson, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro; Can, Bellingham; Brandt, Reus, Reyna; Haller

We say: Werder Bremen 2-3 Borussia Dortmund

Only Schalke and Bochum have conceded more goals than Werder so far this season, but there is little doubt that Werner's side possess a potent threat in attack.

As such, we can envisage a highly entertaining encounter at Weserstadion, with Dortmund potentially coming out on top to win their fifth consecutive league game.

Previews by email