Bundesliga Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs Werder Bremen

High flying Borussia Dortmund will be aiming to maintain their seven point cushion at the top of the table as they take on eighth placed Werder Bremen.

Borussia Dortmund snatched top spot in their Champions League group from under Atletico Madrid’s noses on Tuesday, and come into this game on the back of five straight wins in the Bundesliga. Lucien Favre’s side comfortably dispatched rivals Schalke 04 last weekend, and they will be hoping to keep their run going against Werder Bremen.

GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY – DECEMBER 08: Thomas Delaney of Dortmund celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal with team mates during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund at the Veltins Arena on December 08, 2018 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/TF-Images via Getty Images) /

Victory on Saturday will help Borussia Dortmund seal the Herbstmeisterschaft, or the Autumn Championship. 38 of the last 55 Herbstmeisters have gone on to win the Bundesliga title.

Lucien Favre is likely to stick with the majority of the side that won the Revierderby last weekend, but could be forced into making a change or two. Thomas Delaney, who scored in the derby, did not train with the team earlier in the week, and it remains to be seen if he is fit enough to start. Dan Axel Zagadou is the only first team player who is unavailable. Raphael Guerreiro’s midweek brace could see him get a chance in the starting line up on Saturday.

After an impressive start to the campaign, Werder Bremen have hit a bit of a bump in recent weeks. Die Werderaner won just two of their last nine Bundesliga matches and lie eighth in the standings. Bremen did get a vital 3-1 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf last weekend, with US international Josh Sargent coming off the bench to score on his debut. The teenager is expected to retain his place on the bench this weekend, with Fin Bartels, Aron Jóhannsson, Miloš Veljković and Philipp Bargfrede all out injured.

Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin is set to feature as he returns to the Westfalenstadion for the first time since joining Bremen in the summer.

Last Match: Werder Bremen 1-1 Borussia Dortmund

29 April 2018, Germany, Bremen, Soccer, Bundesliga, 32nd match day, Werder Bremen vs Borussia Dortmund at the Weser-Stadion. Bremen’s Thomas Delaney (R) and Dortmund’s Marco Reus in action. Photo: Carmen Jaspersen/dpa /

The last time these two sides met was in April, when they played out a 1-1 draw at the Weser Stadion. Marco Reus gave Borussia Dortmund the lead in the 19th minute, before now Borussia Dortmund midfielder Thomas Delaney leveled the scores with a looping header just before half-time.

Reus, Manuel Akanji and Jadon Sancho all hit the woodwork for Borussia Dortmund, while Jiri Pavlenka made some brilliant saves for the home side to help them earn a crucial point.

Probable Lineups

Borussia Dortmund: Bürki – Piszczek, Akanji, Diallo, Hakimi – Witsel, Delaney – Sancho, Reus (c), Bruun Larsen – Alcacer

Werder Bremen: Pavlenka – Gebre Selassie, Langkamp, Moisander, Augustinsson – Sahin, M. Eggestein, Klaassen – Osako, Kruse (c), Rashica

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