With matchday 28 under way, all 18 sides competing in the Bundesliga this season will be eager to get back on track following the international hiatus. For Borussia Dortmund, they will be hoping to keep league leaders Bayern Munich from pulling too far ahead as they seek to try to knock die Roten off their perch as Germany's top side. And for their upcoming opponents Werder Bremen, they will want to avoid having feelings of false security due to the congested nature of the bottom half of the table.
Borussia Dortmund
So impressive have Borussia Dortmund been this season under Thomas Tuchel that it makes last season's struggles appear to be a distant memory. Die Schwarzgelben have been quite excellent both in domestic and continental affairs, and will be coming into this game having won four out of their past five league fixtures. With 64 goals scored, they boast the second-best attack in the division, and the same can be said about their defense, which has conceded 26 goals in 27 games.
Star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has also been having a fantastic season, and the Gabonese attacker's 22 goals have him just three behind Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski in the goalscorers' charts, and he has scored a whopping 32 across all competitions so far. Key, of course, to Dortmund's on-going success this term has been their solid home form. So far, Tuchel's side have not lost a Bundesliga fixture on home turf: out of their 13 matches this season, they have won 11, scored 36 and conceded just nine.
With a comfortable 16 point gap between themselves and third-placed Hertha Berlin, die Schwarzgelben are also pretty much guaranteed a return back to the Champions League for the 2016/2017 season based on league standing alone. Still, they are five points behind Bayern Munich and fans would love nothing better than to finally see their team back on top of Germany's football charts, so picking up all three points in this fixture will be vital.
Next up will be a mouth-watering Europa League quarter-finals tie with Liverpool that will see Dortmund reunited with former coach Jurgen Klopp. Given the significance of that game, Tuchel will be pleased to see that he will have pretty much a full strength line-up, with only players like Ilkay Gundogan, Sven Bender, and Neven Subotic being in doubt for this weekend and the upcoming clash with Liverpool in a few days' time.
In terms of overall record, Dortmund have won their past nine home league games against Werder Bremen, with their last loss taking place on April 15, 2007. If one wishes to also include the DFB Pokal, then their visitors last enjoyed a victory in January 28, 2009, but all in all, die Schwarzgelben are viewed as the big favorites to come out on top in this fixture.
Werder Bremen
As for Werder Bremen, they have had a season best characterized as a roller-coaster. Last month alone, die Grün-Weißen pulled off an impressive 4-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen, but then were crushed 5-0 by Bayern Munich in their next match. A big concern for Viktor Skrypnyk will be the fitness of key striker Claudio Pizarro, who suffered another injury setback whilst on international duty with Peru.
Pizarro, who is in his fourth spell with Werder Bremen (which includes a one year loan spell whilst at Chelsea), will be turning 38 later this year. However, his advancing years have not slowed down the Peruvian international, who has scored an impressive 12 league goals so far this season - including a hat-trick during his team's victory over Bayer Leverkusen on March 2nd. In doing so, Pizarro became the oldest ever player to score a hat-trick in the Bundesliga.
So given this, it is no surprise that his manager will be very concerned about his availability for this match, especially considering that since his first injury concerns earlier last month, Werder Bremen have not won a game. Currently in 14th place, the team are technically safe - for now. Due to how tight things are at the bottom of the table, a loss could see them tumble down into the relegation zone, as they are just one point away from teams like Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt, who are in 16th and 17th place respectively.
Which channel is broadcasting Borussia Dortmund vs Werder Bremen on TV or Online?
The famed Signal Iduna Park is always a lively atmosphere thanks to Borussia Dortmund's loyal and passionate fanbase. And this Saturday will certainly be no different as die Schwarzgelben take on Werder Bremen.
However, if you are too far away to make it to catch this game live, don't worry. LiveSoccerTV.com has put together some choices to make sure you don't miss out, and you can stay on top of all the action via TV, computer, phone, or tablet.
Here are some options for fans residing elsewhere in Germany and in the following countries:
- In the USA at 12.30 EST on: FOX Network, GOLTV USA, Fox Soccer 2GO USA
- In Germany at 18.30 CET on: Sky Go Deutschland, BVB Total, TeleClub Sport Live, Sport1.FM, Sky Bundesliga 1/HD
- In the UK at 17.30 BST on: BT Sport Europe, BT Sport Live Streaming
- In Canada at 12.30 ET on: Sportsnet World, Sportsnet World Now
Live elsewhere? Check out our special Borussia Dortmund vs Werder Bremen broadcast page for viewing times and options for your current location.
*Note: Live broadcast data is subject to change*
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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