Sports Pundit
Football

Home Improvement Key for Resurgent Werder's Survival Hopes

Leonardo Bittencourt of Bremen cheers after he scored the first goal
Leonardo Bittencourt of Bremen cheers after he scored the first goal

Werder Bremen boss Florian Kohfeldt is optimistic his side’s good form can continue on Wednesday against Eintracht Frankfurt as they bid to avoid relegation.

Werder are currently 17th in the Bundesliga, but have managed seven points from their past three matches to move within sight of safety.

The four-time German champions haven’t been relegated from the top flight since 1979, when they were immediately promoted the following season.

Wednesday’s catch-up fixture will also confirm exactly where they stand in the relegation battle with five matchdays to play, with FSV Mainz currently in 15th on 28 points, Fortuna Dusseldorf in 16th on 27 points and Werder in 17th on 25.

Werder will be bolstered by a relatively fit squad, despite injury scares to Leonardo Bittencourt, who scored the winner at Schalke 04 on the weekend, and out-of-form striker Milot Rashica.

“Everyone who played against Schalke is fit,” Kohfeldt said.

“It is an advantage that those who’ve played recently have not disappointed.”

Kohfeldt confirmed he’d be without experienced Turkish midfielder Yuri Sahin for the remainder of the campaign due to a hip injury.

Unfortunately his hip injury has proven to be worse than first thought,” he said.

Eintracht are currently 11th on the Bundesliga table, with their 2-1 win at Wolfsburg on the weekend snapping a six-game winless run in the league.

The Eagles have collected the fewest amount of points on the road in the Bundesliga this season, while Werder have the worst home record, with only one win at the Weserstadion all campaign.

Werder have managed one point from their past eight league matches at home, coming in their latest game at Weserstadion with a 0-0 draw with Borussia Moenchengladbach.