Hannover 96-Werder Bremen
Football : Germany : Bundelsiga
AWD Arena
Saturday, 13th February 2010 – kickoff 15:30

Hannover 96

Hannover found themselves in a very bad position and after last week`s loss against Hoffenheim they have dropped further to the relegation places. They are 16th on the table with only 17 points and are expecting very tough task ahead.

Even worse for the team are the newly injured players - Arnold Bruggink (strained calf at training, will be absent for two weeks) and Karim Haggui (torn muscle). Morten Jensen will also be out of the squad for this match (dental surgery), same as Valdet Rama took who has injured his ankle and it is still unknown exactly how long he will be out of the team.

The list of injured players does not stop there - Steven Cherundolo, Steve Sidwell and Didier Ya Konan will also be out of the squad for this match.

Arouna Kone proved to be a successful signing; he showed a good performance against Hoffenheim and has scored for the team. He will be again the top striker up front with the Brazilian International Elson behind him in somehow more closed formation.

Jan Durica is expected back but he is still doubtful whether he will be able to play. If not available, probably Altin Lala will be in the starting line-up.

Werder Bremen

Werder Bremen advanced in the semifinals of the DFB Cup after their midweek 2-1 victory over TSG Hoffenheim. They will face the lower side of Augsburg in the semifinals in their quest for trophy this season.

Last weekend they also won against Hertha Berlin at home, which got them closer to the European spots next season.

Good news for the team is the form of Hugo Almeida who, after being out of the squad for longer period, has entered as a substitute in the Cup match and scored the decisive goal which got them in the semis.

There are doubts over the goalkeeper Tim Wiese whether he will be able to participate in this match due to his back problems, and if he is not available Christian Vander will probably replace him at the goal.

Danish international Daniel Jensen has returned to trainings but he is far from being match fit so he will probably take his place at the bench.
Midfielder Sebastian Boenisch is definitely out of competition for this match due to an infection.

Coach Schaaf will use Claudio Pizzaro and Marko Marin as strikers just like in the Cup match, but Hugo Almeida is also expected to get some playing time.

The Betting Verdict

This match is known as Northern Derby in Germany and from 43 duels between these teams, Werder Bremen have won 23 times and Hannover have won just eight.

First match between these teams this season ended in goalless draw in Bremen.

Hannover are on a losing run, having lost the last six matches in the Bundesliga. The last time they have won is back in October against FC Koln.

Werder Bremen are currently in much better form and they have proved it during midweek so i expect them to roll over Hannover.But remember that this is a regional derby and surprises often happen in this kind of matches regardless the position on the table. However, having in mind Hannover`s long injury list of many key players and Werder Bremen`s good form i expect Werder Bremen to win this one at a good price.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Hannover 1-3 Werder Bremen

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Away win for Werder Bremen