Can Bremen Bounce Back? - Football (Soccer) News And Picks

Can Bremen Bounce Back?
By David Hein
Posted:11:00 am PDT 2007-02-09

Werder Bremen look to rebound from a tough home loss and dropping from the top spot in the German Bundesliga as the league continues a very dramatic phase this weekend.

Bremen were dominated last weekend at home against Schalke 2-0 in a top-of-the-table clash. And now, Thomas Schaaf's second-placed team get another crucial showdown on Saturday against third-placed Stuttgart.

Werder had won six straight games before the Schalke loss and are +140 favourites on WagerWeb.com. The main reasons for that are Bremen's one road loss in nine games and Stuttgart collecting three draws and two losses in their last five home games against Werder.

Schaaf's side is anything but in top form -- physically and mentally. Miroslav Klose's thumb kept him out of Germany's friendly victory against Switzerland. Other injuries include Frank Baumann, Patrick Owomoyela and Ivan Klasnic.

Goalkeeper Tim Wiese should be back between the posts even though veteran Andreas Reinke filled in excellently while Wiese was injured and believes he should stay in the line-up.

And Bremen playmaker Diego's mind may not be entirely on the game as his father was detained for attempted murder in a car accident in Brazil.

Stuttgart, meanwhile, are brimming with confidence, especially young striker Mario Gomez, who scored against Switzerland in his debut with the German national team.

Should Stuttgart win, they would move to within one point of Bremen, who have 42 points to Stuttgart's 38.

League leaders Schalke, with 45 points, are getting -160 odds on WagerWeb.com for their home encounter against Hertha Berlin. Mirko Slomka's team have not lost at home in nine games this season and are 9-2-1 in their last 12 games.

The only thing speaking for Hertha -- +375 odds -- is Schalke winning just two of their last eight home games against Berlin, who are fifth in the league with 33 points.

Just one point ahead of Hertha Berlin is shell-shocked Bayern Munich, who haven't won in their three games since the winter break.

Ottmar Hitzfeld replaced Felix Mageth after the scoreless home draw with Bochum. But Bayern were embarrassed 3-0 at Nurnberg last weekend and a victory is a must on Sunday at home against Bielefeld.

But Bayern -- -345 favourites -- have beaten Bielefeld six consecutive times in Munich.

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