VfB Stuttgart vs Werder Bremen preview: The Nick Woltemade derby

Yahoo

13-04-2025

VfB Stuttgart vs Werder Bremen preview: The Nick Woltemade derby
VfB Stuttgart
Life has been getting better for VfB Stuttgart.
They were pretty much in free fall in February, going on a six-match winless run. Stuttgart had fallen out of the European picture, and it looked like a crisis was incoming.
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However, they've turned things around quite quickly. First they booked their place in the DFB Pokal final, defeating RB Leipzig 3-1 at home in the semifinals of the tournament. Then Die Schwaben got back on track in the Bundesliga, running rampant against VfL Bochum and ultimately winning 4-0.
Those two results have helped them reset themselves and set the stage for an important end to the season. Stuttgart are just one game away from cup glory, and an automatic spot in the UEFA Europa League as a result. They can also still qualify for Europe via the league, as they're only four points behind 6th place and a Conference League spot.
The Reds are led by two in-form forwards. Ermedin Demirović is the main striker, and he's in a fine run of form. This was capped off this past weekend when he secured a hat-trick in style against Bochum. Then there's his partner Nick Woltemade, who's become an incredible threat both when he drops deep and when he runs into the box.
The latter will be especially excited for this contest. Woltemade was an academy product at Bremen, and now he'll get the chance to put one over on his old club after departing in the offseason. While he still has love for his old home, he'll certainly want to make an impact and guide Stuttgart to another victory.
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Team news
The hosts will be without a few key players, as Ameen Al Dakhil is suspended while Dan-Axel Zagadou, Josha Vagnoman, Justin Diehl, and Luca Raimund are all injured.
Werder Bremen
Werder Bremen have been a hard team to predict this campaign, and that was on show once against last Saturday.
They hosted 3rd place outfit Eintracht Frankfurt, and they dispatched them with relative ease. Oliver Burke put the home side in front near the half hour mark when he headed home a corner, and then Romano Schmid sealed the three points with a lovely curler late on.
What was especially surprising was Bremen's defensive performance. They were up against a free-flowing offensive unit, and they practically shut them down. They were solid, hard to break down, and barely gave up any opportunities. Goalkeeper Michael Zetterer had very little to do on the afternoon.
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A big reason for that was the return of captain Marco Friedl. He's the team's best centerback, and he's immediately fixed a bunch of the issues at the back. The Austrian is a leader, with his presence leading to a calmness and composure on the field.
If Werder aren't leaking goals at the back, and they take their chances going forward, then they can beat anyone in Germany. While the European dream was dashed before, it might still be alive since they're five points back with six games to go.
For Bremen to have any hopes of doing that, they'll need to win as many games as possible. That run could continue this weekend.
Team news
The Green-Whites will only be without centerback Milos Veljkovic for the contest.