Burkina Faso
Indonesia
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia
United Arab Emirates

VfL Bochumvs.Werder Bremen

sportsmole.co.uk, 5 December 2024, 14:09
Winless VfL Bochum enter Saturday's gameweek 13 clash at Vonovia Ruhrstadion 14 points adrift of Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga table.

The hosts are the only side in Europe's top five leagues yet to win in 2024-25, and they hope to exploit Bremen's two-match losing run on their travels.

Match preview

Despite an unforeseen 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in Dieter Hecking's first match as head coach, Bochum have fallen into previous habits with losses at Stuttgart (0-2) and Augsburg (0-1).

Those defeats have continued the Blues' pitiful start to the new season, an extension of last term's mediocre campaign that saw them narrowly avoid relegation to Bundesliga 2.

With two points secured from an available 36, the bottom club are already eight points shy of Heidenheim in the relegation playoff spot and nine behind St Pauli in 15th heading into this weekend's 13th round.

Indeed, they face an uphill battle for survival, with all four teams with similar or worse starts to their Bundesliga season failing to beat the drop.

Given the home side's poor record against Bremen — they have one win in 20 top-flight meetings, claiming four draws and losing 15 — you would forgive supporters in North Rhine-Westphalia for fearing further disappointment this weekend.

The River Islanders aim to inflict more misery on their lowly opponents on Saturday, keen to improve on a positive historical record in this fixture and avoid a third road defeat in a row.

Ole Werner's men began the season accruing 10 points from 12 on their travels, even if losses to Borussia Monchengladbach (1-4) and second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt (0-1) have dampened the mood for the travelling support.

Those fans hope to avoid seeing their side fall to three away Bundesliga losses on the trot for the first time in over a year when they lost seven from April to October 2023.

Despite back-to-back disappointments on their travels, Werner's men claiming 10 of 16 points on the road point to a seeming preference for away matches, potentially standing them in good stead on Saturday.

Even though the River Islanders have won just once in five league outings, Bremen's goal stats (19) better the clubs in the bottom half of the standings, and the 12th-placed side look to exploit a Bochum outfit without a clean sheet in 28 league matches, aiming to notch a first Bundesliga victory since November 9.

VfL Bochum Bundesliga form:

L

L

L

D

L

L

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

W

D

L

W

L

D

Werder Bremen form (all competitions):

W

L

W

L

D

W

Team News

No goalkeeper has conceded more than Patrick Drewes' 33 in the German top tier, highlighting Bochum's defensive bugbear before gameweek 13.

At the other end, Die Blauen hope for improved finishing from Moritz Broschinski, who has yet to score this term and failed to convert six chances termed clear-cut opportunities.

Hecking's men will be without joint top scorer Myron Boadu due to a hip injury, while Jakov Medic's fractured eye socket keeps him out on Saturday.

Bremen could be without the doubtful Felix Agu, who has a knee issue, but Keke Topp's ankle problem is expected to rule out the young forward this weekend.

Jens Stage has netted five goals from midfield, outdoing Marvin Ducksch (three), and aims to add to that tally against struggling opponents.

VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:

Drewes; Oermann, Ordets, Bernardo; Passlack, Bero, Losilla, Sissoko, Wittek; Hofmann, Broschinski

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:

Zetterer; Stark, Friedl, Veljkovic; Weiser, Stage, Lynen, Kohn; Njinmah, Schmid; Ducksch

We say: VfL Bochum 1-2 Werder Bremen

It will be interesting to see if Bochum can build on their only home match under Hecking, which ended in a 1-1 draw with Leverkusen.

Written by

Anthony Brown

Previews by email
Show more

Top News

27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Still on course for an outrageous quadruple, Barcelona host Inter Milan at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bidding to replicate their triumph over the Ligue 1 champions from several months ago, Arsenal host Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their mouthwatering Champions League semi-final on Tuesday evening. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly preparing to make an €80m (£68m) offer for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Minnesota Utd vs. Vancouver (Sunday, 8.00pm) Minnesota United can close the gap between themselves and the Vancouver Whitecaps for first in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer when the two teams meet at Allianz Field on Sunday. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Konyaspor vs. Adana Demirspor (Sunday, 2.00pm) There is a sense of quiet momentum building around Konyaspor as they prepare to host already-relegated Adana Demirspor in what, on the surface, might look like a routine end-of-season Turkish Super Lig fixture. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Moreirense vs. Nacional (Sunday, 3.30pm) Nacional will look to take a giant stride towards securing their safety in the Primeira Liga when they visit the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas to face Moreirense on Sunday. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Andreas Christensen reportedly has no desire to leave Barcelona this summer, with the Denmark international intending to remain with the Catalan giants until his contract expires in the summer of 2026. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Sittard vs. Willem II (Sunday, 11.15am) Aiming to keep any slim hopes of escaping the Eredivisie table's bottom three alive, Willem II will travel to take on Fortuna Sittard on Sunday. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Como vs. Genoa (Sunday, 11.30am) Locked together on points in the Serie A standings, mid-table pair Como and Genoa will meet at Stadio Sinigaglia on Sunday, as two ex-Arsenal stars clash in the dugout. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk VfL Bochum vs. Union Berlin (Sunday, 2.30pm) VfL Bochum's chances of Bundesliga survival could be significantly damaged if they lose at home against Union Berlin on Sunday at Vonovia Ruhrstadion. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Angers vs. Lille (Sunday, 2.00pm) Looking to boost their chances of avoiding the dreaded drop, Angers will battle for three points on Sunday afternoon, when Lille visit Stade Raymond Kopa in Ligue 1. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly preparing to offer Matheus Cunha a five-year contract with the option of an additional 12 months, as the Red Devils seemingly move closer to a deal for the Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bournemouth vs. Man Utd (Sunday, 2.00pm) Aiming to become the sixth different team to complete the double over Manchester United this season, Bournemouth host the Red Devils at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday afternoon. 27 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez sat out training ahead of Inter Miami's clash with Dallas on Sunday. 26 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap's relegation release clause has activated following his side's 3-0 defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday, with Manchester United and Chelsea reportedly interested in securing his services. 26 April 2025 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe scored the first free-kick of his career - but it wasn't enough to stop Real Madrid losing 3-2 to Barcelona in an epic Copa del Rey final. 26 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are said to have been boosted in their pursuit of Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, with his club prepared to sign a replacement in the summer. 26 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Jules Kounde came up with a 116th-minute winner as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 in Saturday night's Copa del Rey final. 26 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly been handed a boost in the pursuit of striker Victor Osimhen, with Juventus said to have pulled out of the race for his signature. 26 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Valencia have reportedly decided against signing Bournemouth loanee Max Aarons on a permanent deal. 26 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Casa Pia and Estoril Praia will face off at the Estadio Pina Manique on Monday evening in a clash between two sides looking to finish the Primeira Liga campaign on a high. 26 April 2025 talksport.com The gulf in class between the Premier League and Championship has never been wider. 26 April 2025 talksport.com Ian Wright has rejected Eni Aluko's apology over comments she made about him 'blocking' opportunities for women in football. 26 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr conjured up semi-final scorchers as Crystal Palace reached the 2024-25 FA Cup final with a richly-deserved 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Wembley. 26 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Saudi outfit Neom SC have reportedly had 'major discussions' with the representatives of Andre Onana with a view to signing the Manchester United goalkeeper during this summer's transfer window. 26 April 2025 talksport.com Chelsea have entered talks with Borussia Dortmund over the summer transfer of Jamie Gittens, talkSPORT understands. 26 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to end a two-month wait without a victory at Stadio Olimpico, Lazio welcome Parma to the capital in Monday's gameweek 34 contest in Serie A. 26 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Matheus Cunha has expressed his happiness at Molineux amid suggestions that he could make a big-money move to Manchester United during this summer's transfer window. 26 April 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City's Premier League strife continued on Saturday despite already being relegated as they fell to their 25th defeat of the season in a 2-0 loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.