Previous meeting: Former Werder player Serge Gnabry scored a brace for Bayern in their first meeting of the season. Bayern pressed hard right from the start, with Robert Lewandowski forcing Jiri Pavlenka to parry away his shot in the 7th minute. Niko Kovac’s side remained dominant and took the lead in the 20th minute thanks to Gnabry. Werder were able to exploit some defensive lapses from the visitors, with Yuya Osako heading in the equalizer (29’). Bayern pulled ahead once again just after the start of the second half through Gnabry, who netted his second goal of the match. Max Kruse had a chance to draw level but just missed hitting the target. To top things off, Werder defender Niklas Moisander was sent off after receiving a second yellow card following a foul on Lewandowski.
The boss on the game: “We’re up against an opponent that has proven that they are the strongest team in Germany. There is no plan in existence that could take all of their strengths out of the game,” Kohfeldt said in a press conference on Thursday. Bayern have won eight of their last nine Bundesliga matches and are in the midst of their best-ever second half of the season in club history. “We’re also capable of turning a game in our favour,” Kohfeldt said. “It’s clear that we need to put forth a strong performance and for Bayern to not have such a great day.”
The opponents: Bayern are in top form as the end of the season nears, having won their last two matches convincingly with a 5-0 against Dortmund and 4-1 against Düsseldorf. They currently sit at the top of the table with 67 points in 29 games. But, in order to take home the title, Bayern need to win as many points as possible as second-place Borussia Dortmund are hot on their heels. With just one point separating the two teams, Werder could throw a wrench into Bayern’s title pursuit.