Two sides only separated by goal difference at the bottom end of the Bundesliga table will square off in an important contest on Sunday, as VfL Bochum entertain Werder Bremen.
The teams each boast a six-point lead over the drop zone with the hosts sat 14th after a defeat last time out and aiming to jump back above their visitors.
Match preview
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VfL Bochum return to Bundesliga action for the first time in 2024 on Sunday with the aim of building on their improvement late last year and climbing further away from the relegation zone after enduring a poor start to the campaign.
Die Unabsteigbaren narrowly avoided the drop last time around, and they were unable to pick up a single victory from their opening nine top-flight outings this term, collecting just five points along the way and immediately finding themselves in the fight at the bottom of the division as a result.
They certainly appear to have turned a corner since the beginning of November, though, having now added 11 points to that tally in seven further attempts, starting with their first victories of the campaign over Darmstadt and Wolfsburg either side of a pair of draws in a four-match unbeaten streak, before having their momentum halted by a 3-1 defeat away at Hoffenheim.
Thomas Letsch's side quickly rebounded from that setback in impressive fashion, beating fellow strugglers Union Berlin 3-0 on home turf in mid-December, thanks to goals from Takuma Asano, Goncalo Paciencia and Kevin Stoger, only to head into the Christmas break on the back of another heavy defeat in an unenviable trip to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen as the hosts scored a 4-0 triumph courtesy of Patrik Schick's brace and a Victor Boniface goal.
Given their impressive recent improvement to quickly climb six points clear of the bottom three, VfL Bochum should not be too disheartened by that defeat before Christmas and will hope to return refreshed and secure another victory on Sunday to boost their cushion further.
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Their visitors return to action in a similar position, having also managed 16 points from their first 16 league outings this term.
Aiming to build on last season's 13th-placed finish in Germany's top flight, Werder Bremen have failed to impress so far this season, currently occupying the same position with just four wins on the board alongside eight defeats from their 16 games.
A four-game run between early November and early December which produced two draws and two defeats left Ole Werner's side in a particularly concerning position, but they were at least able to improve their standing with a better run heading into the Christmas break, firstly returning to winning ways in a 2-0 triumph at home to Augsburg thanks to goals from Niklas Stark and Marvin Ducksch.
A trip to Borussia Monchengladbach then followed and Die Werderaner took a creditable point from a 2-2 draw thanks to Ducksch's equaliser, having initially gone 1-0 up through Rafael Borre, before most recently hosting high-flying RB Leipzig and again taking a share of the spoils from a 1-1 draw as Justin Nijnmah drew them level 15 minutes from time.
Having put an improved streak together to quickly move six points clear of the bottom three, the Christmas break may not have come at the best time for a Werder Bremen side gaining momentum, but they will hope to pick up where they left off on Sunday and make a return to winning ways to climb closer to mid-table.
Team News
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VfL Bochum will remain without defender Ivan Ordets due to a long-term injury, while key winger Takuma Asano is away on international duty with Japan at the Asia Cup.
He leads their scoring charts this term, and in his absence, more attacking responsibility will fall on Celta Vigo loanee Goncalo Paciencia who has notched up three goals in 10 appearances for the club so far this term.
The Portuguese forward will likely have support from Christopher Antwi-Adjei and Kevin Stoger, while Patrick Osterhage and French veteran Anthony Losilla will continue to play key roles in the engine room.
Werder Bremen have several squad issues of their own, with midfielder Naby Keita away on international duty while Amos Pieper, Milos Veljkovic and Leon Opitz are all set to continue spells in the treatment room.
Those losses do still allow Ole Werner to deploy an unchanged starting XI from their 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig before the break, and we could see the same lineup in their 3-4-3 shape, with Christian Gross, Marco Friedl and Anthony Jung again set to line up in a back three.
At the other end of the pitch, Justin Nijnmah should keep his place in the front three after netting their goal last time out, while Rafael Borre will operate on the other flank in support of striker Marvin Ducksch, who has notched up seven goals and five assists in 16 Bundesliga appearances so far this season.
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Riemann; Gamboa, Masovic, Schlotterbeck, Bernardo; Losilla, Osterhage, Bero; Antwi-Adjei, Stoger; Paciencia
Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:
Zetterer; Gross, Friedl, Jung; Weiser, Bittencourt, Stage, Agu; Nijnmah, Ducksch, Borre
We say: VfL Bochum 1-1 Werder Bremen
We anticipate a tight contest on Sunday between two sides who sit level on points and will be desperate to avoid a harmful defeat.
Werder Bremen return to action with more momentum but are yet to win on the road this season, and we anticipate the teams sharing the points and maintaining a healthy lead over the relegation zone at the hallway point of the season.
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