Early in the campaign, Borussia Dortmund vs Werder Bremen gave us one of the games of the season. BVB were cruising 2-0 with 89 minutes on the clock when Englishman Lee Buchanan score what many thought was just a consolation for the away side. Five minutes later, Bremen were celebrating the most famous of wins as they scored two goals in added time to win the tie 3-2. It was the first time in Bundesliga history that a team two goals down in the 89th minute had come back to win the game.
Bremen have gone on to have a solid first season back in the top division. Currently in 8th, you’d fancy them to finish comfortably away from the relegation places in the middle of the table. For BVB, it’s another chance to keep the pressure on Bayern Munich, Union Berlin, and RB Leipzig. With the two latter playing each other, it’s a great opportunity to either move up the table or distance themselves between 4th place Leipzig.
Earlier in the week, Dortmund secured their place in the next round of the DFB Pokal beating VfL Bochum 2-1 away from home. Both Emre Can and Jude Bellingham dominated the midfield and will most likely start again this weekend. Can, who has had a difficult week due to the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria in the week, scored a fabulous goal from near the halfway line when Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann was out of his box.
Expect Dortmund head coach Edin Terzić to go with a similar formation of 4-1-4-1 against Bremen this weekend. Karim Adeyemi is suspended after accumulating five yellow cards. Marco Reus could also start in replace of Salih Özcan. The club captain scored the winning goal in mid-week and may have earned a starting XI place.
Bremen are coming off the back of two impressive wins beating VfL Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart 2-1 and 2-0 respectively. Opting for either a 3-1-4-2 or 3-4-1-2 formation, it’s clear that Bremen aren’t afraid of being adventurous and playing on the front foot. So far, their bravery has been rewarded this season. With the likes of Niclas Füllkrug up top, don’t be surprised to see him cause trouble against a BVB defence which has once again been suspect this campaign.
They’ll be an electric atmosphere in the Weserstadion this Saturday. Those in green and white will sit on the edge of their seats in anticipation and hope of witnessing a famous double over Dortmund.
GGFN | Jamie Allen
