Bayern must travel 750 kilometres to Bremen for their first away game of the season but it’s a journey that has always been worth it in recent years. The Reds haven’t lost a single match at Werder Bremen since October 2006. Here are some more interesting stats and facts on the game:
13 wins and counting
The record German champions have enjoyed playing against Bremen in recent years. In fact, they’ve won their last 13 league games against them – the longest winning run of its kind in Bundesliga history. In total the two sides have met 102 times in the top flight, with FCB winning exactly half of them (25 draws, 26 defeats). Bayern are also the only team who have scored over 200 goals against Werder, while conceding only 71. The last time the team from Bremen got anything against FCB was a 0-0 draw in Munich in September 2010.
Bremen experts
Franck Ribéry particularly likes playing against Werder. The Frenchman scored his first Bundesliga goal at the Weserstadion in 2007. He’s scored a total of nine goals in 15 league games against them – more than he has against any other side – and is also unbeaten (12 wins, three draws). The same goes for Thomas Müller, who has been involved in 18 goals in his 15 meetings with Bremen (seven goals, 11 assists). Arjen Robben is another, as he has won all seven of his encounters with the Green-Whites, scoring seven goals. The top Bremen expert is Manuel Neuer, who has been on the winning side in 16 of his 20 Bundesliga games against them (two draws and two defeats). One more victory would make the goalkeeper the player with the most wins against Werder. He currently shares the record with Sepp Maier and Thomas Häßler.
Set-piece specialists
Bayern scored three goals from set-pieces in their opening game of the season against Leverkusen: Süle scored from a free-kick, Tolisso from a corner and Lewandowski with a penalty. The Reds already lead the way when it comes to set-piece statistics and they have now scored 18 times from dead-ball situations in 2017. That also puts them top of the league – ahead of tomorrow’s opponents from Bremen (14 goals). The Green-Whites haven’t been as good at defending set-pieces, though. Only Leverkusen (23) conceded more goals from them last season than Werder (20).
Milestone for Werder
Saturday’s match is a special one for Bremen as it will be their 1,800th in the Bundesliga. Only Hamburger SV have played more (1,834 after this weekend), while for FCB it’ll be their 1,774th fixture. It’s also Bremen’s 900th home game in the top flight and only Bayern have won more in front of their own fans (658 to 514).
Dankert officiating
Bayern have good memories of referee Bastian Dankert. The Reds have not lost any of the 13 previous games that the 37 year-old from Rostock has officiated (11 wins, two draws). Among them is the 6-0 home win against Werder in October 2014. Dankert will be assisted by René Rohde and Arne Aarnink, with Markus Schüller as fourth official and Felix Zwayer the video assistant referee.
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