Werder Bremen vs Wolfsburg Predictions, Betting Tips, & Match Preview

Werder Bremen parted ways with coach Viktor Skripnik last weekend after their 4-1 defeat away to Borussia Mönchengladbach This meant that the North Germans started a season with four consecutive competitive defeats (3 Bundesliga and 1 DFB Pokal) for the first time in their history. Interim coach Alexander Nouri took over the reins before Werder Bremen’s “English week” fixture at home to Mainz 05 on Wednesday. Werder came out with all guns blazing and Izet Hajrovic bagged his first goal of the season with a 25-yard pile-driver to send them ahead in the 12th minute. Mainz’s pressure and second-half dominance, however, eventually proved too much for Bremen as two late goals saw them finish behind once again. Bremen are now just one of only two sides, alongside Schalke 04, at the bottom of the table and without a single point so far this season.

Last season was something of an anomaly for the 2014/2015 Bundesliga runners up: Wolfsburg managed their best ever year in European competition, qualifying through to the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League to face Real Madrid, contrasted with season-long inconsistency in the Bundesliga, seeing them fail to qualify for Europe this time around after finishing 8th. Coach Dieter Hecking, who held onto his managerial position, has made some necessary transfers over the summer, but Wolfsburg are yet to see the best from all of their new signings. Striker Mario Gomez, who scored 26 goals in 33 appearances for Besiktas last season, is yet to open his account from his three starts. Jakub Blaszczykowski, who featured on the right wing for the first time this season against Hoffenheim, is yet to score or assist. Attacking midfield Daniel Didavi has been the quickest to settle in. He scored on his competitive debut and against Dortmund on Tuesday within minutes of coming off the bench.

Wolfsburg come into this match as favourites for the bookies at just under evens. While Wolfsburg have failed to win in any of their last three matches (D2 L1), we feel that this price is reasonable enough considering Werder Bremen’s current meltdown. Bremen are hugely out-of-form and their performances should likely remain unsettled for some time under interim coach Nouri. Not only are Bremen suffering from the absence of some crucial core players (see team news), but they also just can’t seem to seal the leaks in their defense. Bremen have conceded an average of 3.5 goals per game over their opening four Bundesliga matches and though Wolfsburg have struggled against defensively sound teams, they are certainly capable of exploiting an unorganized back four.

Dortmund’s 5-1 win over Wolfsburg should be considered an anomaly when debating how the visitors will perform here – Dortmund are simply a class higher than most in the Bundesliga. Before this, Wolfsburg had kept three clean sheets against some decently offensive sides (Hoffenheim, Cologne and Augsburg) and we feel they’re good enough to bounce back and repeat that going forward.

As such, Wolfsburg to win at 19/20 and Wolfsburg to win 3-0 at 16/1 with bet365 are our choice bets for this match.