Bundesliga: BVB must Fight to the End

Werder Bremen vs Borussia Dortmund

It may look like the Bundesliga title could be slipping away from Borussia Dortmund, but until the fight is well and truly over there is no stopping now.

After a superb season, Lucien Favre’s side has suffered two body blows which have left it trailing FC Bayern by two points as we enter Matchday 32. Bundesliga Werder Bremen vs Borussia Dortmund is the clash of the weekend and a must win tie for Die Schwarzgelben.

Only a surprise draw for the champions against relegation threatened Nurnberg has kept Favre’s men in the hunt after they followed up a 5-0 thumping at the hands of Bayern early in April with a shock 2-4 reversal to FC Schalke last week.

The hosts will be hoping to end a sequence of three defeats, in front of a passionate crowd at the Weser-Stadion and BVB will need to be at their best. The Werder Bremen vs Borussia Dortmund betting odds point to a close game and it’s a tough test the visitors simply must overcome to keep their fading title hopes alive.

Talking Points

Werder in Kruse control

The hosts don’t have a lot to worry about as the Bundesliga comes to a climax, comfortably sitting in ninth and unlikely to make a Europa place after their recent blip. In all fairness two of the three defeats came at the hands of FC Bayern, one in the league and one in the DFB Semi Final; but more worrying for coach Florian Kohfeldt was a 4-1 thumping at the hands of mid table Fortuna Dusseldorf last week.

Werder Bremen set their eyes for the win for a Europa League spot against Bundesliga title chasing BVB — Max Kruse struggling to keep the ball against Bayern Munich

Striker Max Kruse has been the main man this season and he scored Werder’s only goal in that game with a first half penalty. That made it 11 goals for the season to add to his nine assists and the front man has caught the attention of some of Europe’s top clubs. He’s already the subject of transfer speculation, with Champions League semi-finalists Tottenham Hotspur reported to be considering a move to take him to the Premier League.

Just behind Kruse, former Everton attacking midfielder Davy Klassen has proven pedigree and, alongside Milot Rashica, the Dutch international provides creative support for Kruse.

While they have a potent striking edge, Die Werderaner were in some disarray at the back in the defeat in Dusseldorf, and a repeat performance of that will surely result in an away win.

Derby damage for BVB

Following two good wins Borussia prepared to take on local rivals FC Schalke 04 full of confidence, but the Revierderby turned out to be a complete disaster. It all started so well when Mario Gotze rose to head home a cross from Jadon Sancho but Schalke struck twice against the run of play before the break. Then, in the second half, it all went pear shaped for Favre and his team. First Marco Reus received a red card for an uncharacteristic bad foul on Suat Serdar, then after Schalke made it 3-1 from the free-kick, it wasn’t long before Marius Wolf followed Reus down the tunnel after another nasty challenge on Serdar.

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I’m not sure what the defensive midfielder had done to annoy his hosts, but Serdar had given his side a massive numerical advantage as they saw out a 2-4 win.

A bright note for BVB has been that Jadon Sancho’s stock has been rising by the week. The young England winger is way out ahead in the Bundesliga assists table with 14 to his name and he’s undoubtedly one of Europe’s hottest talents. And with 17-goal Paco Alcacer available as well as Christian Pulisic and Axel Witsel, the visitors’ team is still dripping with talent.

History

The head to head Werder Bremen vs Borussia Dortmund results tell the story of a well contested rivalry over the last three decades. Of the 58 games completed since 1992, BVB has won 28 to Werder Bremen’s 20 and their have been ten draws.

Dortmund won the earlier Bundesliga game, 2-1, back in December, but Werder Bremen put Die Schwarzgelben out of the DFB Pokal Cup in the Round of 16.

This season represented the best chance in years for BVB to add to their eight Bundesliga titles, but they are now in the last chance saloon.

Betting Tip

	Werder Bremen vs Borussia Dortmund	Borussia Dortmund 1X2 @ 2.19
	May 05, 00:30 (GMT+8)

The latest SBOBET odds have Borussia out at 6.80 to win the title now, but they must keep the faith having led the race for so long. The big question is whether they have regained their composure after losing it so badly in the Revierderby?

With the hosts at 2.94 to win and with less to motivate them I expect BVB to get their challenge back on the rails and, for an alternative bet, 1-2 is available at 8.25.