'They are very alert,' Julian Schuster says of Bremen as Freiburg visits.

Werder Bremen vs. SC Freiburg kicks off at 14:30 [GMT+1] on Saturday, October 5 at the Weserstadion.

Werder Bremen secured a thrilling 4-3 victory against ten-man Hoffenheim, earning their second Bundesliga win in five outings this season [DDWLW]. Despite conceding three early goals in the opening 15 minutes, Bremen mounted a remarkable comeback after Stanley Nsoki was sent off in the 18th minute. Julián Malatini acknowledged the intensity of the encounter. ‘It was a crazy game,’ he said. ‘We weren’t focused at the start and didn’t play well in the opening 15 minutes. Thankfully, we got better and were desperate to turn the game around. I’m really happy that we got the win in the end,’ he added. After a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in their last home fixture, Bremen will be eager to put that humiliation behind them as they face SC Freiburg in another challenging test. Historically, Werder Bremen have struggled against SC Freiburg, winning just one of their last six Bundesliga encounters [1W, 2D, 3L]. The last time Werder won consecutive top-flight matches against Freiburg was under coach Thomas Schaaf when they managed seven straight wins between 2004 and 2011. Including last season, the loss to Bayern remains Bremen’s only defeat in their last 10 Bundesliga games [5W, 4D, 1L]. A win against Freiburg would see Bremen pick up back-to-back victories for the first time since April. Werner is expected to stick with the 4—3—3 formation, with Marvin Ducksch leading the attack, alongside Romano Schmid and Mitchell Weiser. However, Justin Njinmah and Niklas Stark are among four players currently sidelined with injuries.

In contrast, SC Freiburg are looking to bounce back from a shocking 3-0 home defeat to newly promoted St. Pauli, which left them with their second loss of the season. Freiburg are bolstered by a solid defensive record heading into this fixture, having kept four clean sheets in their last six Bundesliga away games. The visitors sit in 7th place in a tightly packed mid-table section. Like Bremen, Freiburg have regained points from a losing position, with both teams among the top three for points claimed from such scenarios this season, Freiburg [6] and Bremen [4], alongside Bayern Munich [4]. ‘They are very alert and good at identifying space, which makes them a threat. In defence, they sometimes take too many risks, which opens up gaps for their opponents; we want to take advantage of those,’ manager Julian Schuster said in a pre-match press conference. A 4—2—3—1 with Junior Adamu leading the attack is expected. Merlin Röhl is ruled out due to an ankle injury, while Kenneth Schmidt and two others are unavailable for selection.