A fragile Borussia Dortmund take on a struggling Werder Bremen side in the Bundesliga on Tuesday, hoping for their first win of 2026.
Der BVB returned from the winter break with a pulsating 3-3 draw to Eintracht Frankfurt which saw Carney Chukwuemeka net a stoppage-time equalizer to save their beacon.
With that, Niko Kovac's side moved up to second place on the Bundesliga table with 33 points from 16 games, still a good 11 points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
Werder Bremen, though, will be playing their first game of the New Year here and come into the fixture on the back of a five-game winless run in the league.
Horst Steffen's side are down in 12th place of the Bundesliga table with only 17 points from 15 games and having won just four games all season.
New Year, Same Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund began the new year in the most Borussia Dortmund way possible: going ahead, conceding and then relying on a late equalizer. The Frankfurt draw was their sixth of the league season from 16 games and the third time they drew 3-3 in the competition.
While the side's defensive record remains the best in the Bundesliga after only Bayern Munich, Dortmund's inability to hold on to their lead has been a cause for concern - they have dropped points after taking the lead on five occasions this season, including one last Friday.
As long as this continues, Werder Bremen, who haven't won a game since 7 November, will feel confident of their chances here.
Werder Bremen looking to unleash Jovan Milosevic
Die Werderaner recently signed Jovan Milosevic from VfB Suttgart following his promising loan spell with Serbian team Partizan, netting 12 times from 17 league appearances for them.
His signing comes in the light of striker Victor Boniface facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to knee surgery, as Milosevic will now take up Bremen's attacking mantle for the rest of the season.
Dortmund bolstered by Bensebaini's return
With Algeria losing in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Ramy Bensebaini is free from national team commitments and could return for Dortmund here.
He started in all but one game for the Greens and was central to a solid defense that conceded only thrice in four games. Kovac, though, would be cautious against throwing him at the deep end.
Bensebaini could start on the bench before being thrown into the match sometime in the second half.