Werder Bremen are only one step away from the relegation zone, while Borussia Dortmund are doing the final calculations for a Champions League place. They may be 38 points apart in the standings, but the final afternoon at the Weserstadion does not look like it will be a comfortable curtain call for the visitors.
Dortmund’s away dominance is not quite as convincing as their league position suggests. They have lost two of their last five away games, including a 1-0 defeat to Mönchengladbach. Bremen may sit third from bottom, but they rarely collapse at home against stronger opposition — they lost by only one goal to Leipzig, by only one goal to Stuttgart, and have even beaten Hamburg. Their survival instinct on the banks of the Weser is often more powerful than the numbers.
Bremen’s attack has indeed been blunt, but Dortmund’s centre-back line is ravaged by injuries — Emre Can has suffered a cruciate ligament tear, Anton is unwell, and Bensebaini has an ankle injury. A makeshift defence may not necessarily come through unscathed at a relegation battler’s home ground. In their farewell at the Weserstadion, Bremen are unlikely to let go easily.