Niko Kovac may not have answered the most important question this season about whether he can steer this Borussia Dortmund side to a title challenge ahead of the visit of Werder Bremen. While his team are comfortable in second spot, the chances of them catching up to leaders Bayern Munich seem next to impossible, with the champions already with an 11-point advantage at the top.
Hence, Kovac would see the idea of consolidating the second spot as a big mark of progress, considering Dortmund finished fourth last season. Securing UEFA Champions League football is still the primary objective for the club, although their performances under Kovac have vastly improved this season.
Last time out, they led Eintracht Frankfurt twice in their clash, but needed a late Carney Chukwuemeka strike to salvage a point. That draw kept them unbeaten in nine games, as well as on home soil in the Bundesliga this season. As for their position, the Black and Yellows are currently second, four points ahead of nearest rival RB Leipzig, who saw their game postponed at the weekend.
Werder Bremen also saw their game against Hoffenheim called off amid heavy snowfall, which ensured they resumed their Bundesliga journey with a trip to Borussia Dortmund. Having drawn with the hosts twice in the 2024/25 season, Horst Steffen will want another positive result against the top-four hopefuls.
As for their most recent game, it game in a stalemate against Augsburg in December before the Christmas break. Not only was that Werder Bremen’s second game in a row where they failed to score, but Steffen’s side failed to register a shot on target. They are currently 12th in the table with 17 points on board, and further bad results could quickly evaporate any remaining hope of a European qualification.
Given the long break from football and time for injured players to recover, Borussia Dortmund only have to worry about defender Aaron Anselmino ahead of this clash with Werder Bremen. In any case, the Argentine has started only four times in the Bundesliga this season, meaning, even if he was fit, the likely place for him was on the bench.
Niko Kovac is likely to continue with a back three of Waldemar Anton, Emre Can, and Nico Schlotterbeck. Niklas Sule is an option there, should Kovac feel the need to use Can in his midfield.
However, the partnership of Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha has been productive enough for the manager to keep it intact ahead of the next league game. Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson are best placed to start in the wing-back roles, although Yan Couto is also an option for the right side of the role.
Karim Adeyemi, despite all the talk of a move away from the club, remains an important attacker for Kovac, and he will start alongside Serhou Guirassy in a front two, while Julian Brandt will occupy the attacking midfield role in the team.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Kobel; Anton, Can, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Nmecha, Sabitzer, Svensson; Brandt; Adeyemi, Guirassy
Whilst not having a long list of injured players, Horst Steffen may have to contend with a few of his key stars missing out at the moment. Chief among those is key striker Victor Boniface, who is set for a considerable spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery to resolve a knee issue.
Newcomer Jovan Milosevic is expected to make his debut for the Bundesliga mid-table side. Mitchell Weiser is the other player out of contention, while there are considerable doubts over Mio Backhaus. Furthermore, Felix Agu and Maximilian Wober are out of contention, meaning Steffen may have to find solutions to fill their absence.
Amos Pieper and Niklas Stark are expected to lead the defensive setup, while Jens Stage and Senne Lynen are the main men in central midfield for Bremen. Justin Njinmah will feature on the left flank, while Cameron Puertas and Romano Schmid will complete the attacking set together with Milosevic.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Backhaus; Sugawara, Pieper, Stark, Schmidt; Stage, Lynen; Puertas, Schmid, Njinmah; Milosevic
The German attacker has been the subject of many transfer stories emerging during the festive period, and this coincided with Borussia Dortmund enjoying their mid-season winter break. It appears, Adeyemi could leave the Black and Yellows with suggestions that he is angling to make a switch to one of the big teams, but has he shown the levels to be a part of one of those sides?
With six goals across all competitions for Dortmund this season, Adeyemi still has to prove a lot to be considered by any of the teams he is linked with. While there might be a case that he starts putting in those performances, a top-notch display may only benefit Dortmund in their quest to finish in second spot this term, as he could take the Bremen game as a chance to do so.
Werder Bremen have thoroughly struggled to break down teams much inferior to Dortmund, and that may come to bite them against the hosts next. The fact that they failed to register a shot on target and have gone consecutive games without scoring makes them the underdogs heading to the Signal Iduna Park.
Meanwhile, Dortmund are one of the prolific sides in the division, and while they might be susceptible defensively, they are likely to keep a clean sheet against Bremen. More importantly, Kovac’s men are the clear favourites to take three points and make their attack work.
