Two teams with something substantial to fight for on the final matchday of the 2023-24 Bundesliga campaign will lock horns at Weserstadion, with Werder Bremen welcoming VfL Bochum.
Bremen can still finish eighth in the table, which could bring European football for next season, while Bochum are not completely safe when it comes to the threat of relegation.
Match preview
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Bremen have won 10, drawn nine and lost 14 of their 33 Bundesliga games this season to collect 39 points, which has left them in 11th position in the table heading into the final matchday of the campaign.
The Green-Whites are only three points behind eighth-placed Freiburg, so there is still an outside chance of claiming European football for next season, but a lot would have to go in their favour.
As it stands, seventh in the Bundesliga means qualification for the Conference League playoff round, but if Bayer Leverkusen win the German Cup, eighth would become the Conference League spot, with seventh position qualifying for the Europa League.
Bremen, who drew 1-1 with RB Leipzig last time out, need to win on Saturday and then hope that other results go in their favour, but this season will definitely be an improvement on last term, when they finished down in 13th spot.
Ole Werner's side have picked up 22 points from their 16 home league matches this season, and they will be welcoming a Bochum outfit that have the second-worst Bundesliga record away from home in 2023-24, picking up only 10 points from 16 games.
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Bochum, meanwhile, occupy 14th spot in the table, three points ahead of 16th-placed Union Berlin ahead of what is shaping up to be a fascinating final day at the bottom.
The Blues cannot be automatically relegated, while they would ensure survival with a draw or better against Bremen, if Mainz 05 lose against Wolfsburg, or Union Berlin fail to overcome Freiburg.
As a result, a lot would have to go against them to finish in the relegation playoff position, and Bochum have managed to pick up six points from the last nine available in Germany's top flight.
That said, Heiko Butscher's side will enter this match off the back of a 5-0 home defeat to the champions Bayer Leverkusen on May 12.
Bochum have not managed to overcome Bremen since February 2008, but the points were shared in a 1-1 draw when they locked horns in the reverse Bundesliga contest earlier this season.
Team News
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Naby Keita remains suspended for Bremen, while Nick Woltemade is a major doubt for the contest after being forced off against Leipzig last time out with a head injury.
Justin Njinmah, Skelly Alvero and Amos Pieper are also sidelined for the hosts, but the bulk of the side that started against Leipzig will again take to the field here.
If Woltemade does not make it, there could be a start for Jens Stage, while Marvin Ducksch will be aiming to add to the 12 league goals that he has scored during the 2023-24 campaign.
As for Bochum, Felix Passlack is suspended on Sunday due to the red card that he picked up in the early stages of the contest with Leverkusen last time out.
Meanwhile, Moritz Kwarteng, Niclas Thiede, Danilo Soares, Mohammed Tolba and Michael Esser are out through injury; Philipp Forster is also a doubt for the visitors this weekend due to an illness.
Tim Oermann is likely to be introduced into the side as Passlack's replacement, but head coach Butscher is not expected to spring any real surprises with his XI despite the five-goal loss to the champions.
Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:
Zetterer; Veljkovic, Freidel, Jung; Weiser, Bittencourt, Lynen, Agu; Schmid, Ducksch, Stage
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Riemann; Oermann, Ordets, Schlotterbeck, Bernardo; Losilla, Osterhage; Asano, Stoger, Wittek; Hofmann
We say: Werder Bremen 2-1 VfL Bochum
Bochum have only picked up 10 points from their 16 away league matches this season, and we are expecting Bremen to triumph on Saturday. However, the success is not expected to be enough to see them claim eighth, while Bochum will still fancy their chances of being safe even if they lose here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
