The highly anticipated clash between RB Leipzig and Werder Bremen is upon us! Werder Bremen faces RB Leipzig on Sunday, marking a significant reunion with their former coach, Ole Werner. Only his headwear distinguishes Ole Werner's new employer. After managing Werder for 1,276 days, Werner ranks just behind Florian Kohfeldt in sixth place. A return to the top flight, establishment in the first division, and two near misses in European competitions highlight his impressive record. Sunday marks the first encounter with the former coach, who announced his decision not to extend his contract shortly after the end of last season.
Horst Steffen, his successor, has led the team to an impressive run. The SVW remained unbeaten in five consecutive games under his leadership, winning three home games in a row. His predecessor never achieved this during his tenure. A good run that saw the Werder players head into the international break.
Four Bremen players had further cause for celebration. A quartet secured their tickets to the World Cup with their national teams on Tuesday. Captain Marco Friedl, Marco Grüll, and Romano Schmid qualified for the first time with Austria in 28 years with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Isaac Schmidt also reached the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada with a draw for Switzerland.
Throughout the week, the national players trickled back to the Weser and prepared for the match against Leipzig. A victory could see Bremen, currently ranked 8th, consolidate their position in the upper half of the table.
Werner's Leipzig is Thriving
Leipzig is also thriving under their new head coach. The SV Werder will play away against RB Leipzig on Sunday, November 23, 2025, at 3:30 p.m. (live on DAZN and in the live ticker on WERDER.DE). The Green-Whites want to continue their run from the last matchdays. You can read in the preview which players are missing and how head coach Horst Steffen assesses the upcoming opponent.
Personnel: The long-term injured Mitchell Weiser (cruciate ligament rupture), Maximilian Wöber (muscle injury) and Felix Agu (syndesmosis ligament injury) are out for the game in Leipzig. The game also comes too early for Oliver Deman, who has already been able to train with the team in part. Otherwise, all other players are available for the match.
Head coach Horst Steffen on the opponent: "Leipzig has a very good playing style that is very variable. In addition, they have strong individual players who can dribble past one or two players in their actions. Overall, they have many elements that can be dangerous to us. We therefore have to be very vigilant, stand compactly in defence and keep the distances between the chains small in order to stop Leipzig. We want to use our opportunities to get into counter-attacking play. We also need our own phases of possession so that we don't always just chase after the ball."
On the rise: After a difficult start to the season, SVW has recently found its feet. The Green-Whites are unbeaten in five games in a row (3 wins, 2 draws) and are therefore the team with the best run behind FC Bayern. Home wins alternated with away draws. Further statistics on the upcoming away game can be found here.
The last duel: The last duel between SV Werder and RB Leipzig ended goalless. On the 33rd matchday of last season, neither team was able to score a goal in the Weser Stadium.