The longest away day of the season awaits SC and their fans on Saturday, with around 731 kilometres separating Freiburg and Bremen. A total of 2,300 fans are expected to make the trip to support the team this weekend. Head coach Julian Schuster also has fond memories of making the trip north as a player, to the stadium near the Weser River where the goal music features a foghorn. “I remember several wins against Bremen, but there were also periods where Werder were the better team. I enjoy travelling to Bremen; they are a very likeable club.”
The most recent match between the sides was won by the Green-Whites (3-1 in Bremen in January), after SC had won each of the previous three games. Both sides also each have a player in their current squad that enjoys finding the back of the net in this fixture. Leonardo Bittencourt has netted seven times against SC to date, but has featured for just two minutes so far this season. Michael Gregoritsch has found the back of the net six times against Werder – he hasn’t scored as many goals against any other Bundesliga side.
After missing the start of the season, the Austrian striker was able to make his comeback from injury on the last matchday. “Gregerl trained as usual this week,” said Schuster, adding that he is an option to make the squad. SC will be without Manuel Gulde, Merlin Röhl and Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (all long-term injuries), while Kenneth Schmidt will miss out due to an abdominal issue.
Self-critical and focused
Last weekend, Werder managed to come back from 3-0 down to win, something that Freiburg were unable to do against St. Pauli. Head coach Ole Werner’s side found themselves trailing by three goals to nil inside 12 minutes, but managed to mount an incredible comeback to win 4-3. “Bremen managed to do what we also would have liked to do – namely, come back from 3-0 down. That’s testament to their spirit. The red card certainly helped, but you first have to manage to create chances for yourself, even if you have a player more,” explained Schuster. Werder scored four times in Sinsheim, netting half of their goals so far this season in the process. However, the Green-Whites are yet to find the back of the net on home soil in 2024/25.
Schuster praised the “good balance” within Bremen’s squad, adding “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.” A total of 22 players were present at the team’s first training session of the week, with the coach commenting that the session got off to a “good start.” He also praised the players for being self-critical following last weekend’s defeat. “The lads were all fully focused and accepting of criticism as we started the new week of training,” he said. “That’s the positive side to a defeat.”
