Stuttgart – Werder Bremen

The home team is set to face a tough test against Werder

Sunday's first Bundesliga clash will be between clubs that sit in the second half of the table and have a lot in common. Both Werder and Stuttgart are historically quite stable clubs in the German top flight, but in recent years they have both featured in the Bundesliga Second Division. While the hosts returned to the German premier league following the 2019/2020 season, Werder are in formal rookie status for the season. The musicians finished second behind Schalke in last season's Bundesliga Second Division, which has earned them a direct trip to the elite division. Bookmakers have identified the hosts as the favourites for the upcoming match, giving them the opportunity to bet on their victory at odds slightly over two. Stuttgart are in 15th place ahead of Bochum in extra points. Bruno Labbadia's side are separated by two points from the direct relegation zone, which imposes on them the obligation to systematically collect tournament points. Whether or not Stuttgart are capable of reversing the disappointing course of the season with a more positive one is another matter. Since mid-October, the team has played eight matches in the German championship, in which they have only won against Hertha and Augsburg. Furthermore, in three rounds this year, Stuttgart have failed to win even once. The meeting with Leipzig ended in defeat, with Hoffenheim and Mainz in draws. Werder, despite their underdog status ahead of the upcoming meeting, occupy a higher position than their opponents. In addition, the Bremen club will move up to the top half of the standings from their current tenth place, should they win on Sunday. "The Musicians have only recently gone through a playing slump that saw the team suffer four defeats in a row. That said, Werder won the last round match in good style, breaking Wolfsburg's six-match winning streak. In the first round, the Bremen and Stuttgart clubs finished their head-to-head encounter with a 2-2 scoreline. The first and last goals of that match were scored by Werder players. We're betting that the visitors will opt for a comfortable second-choice style of play, while the home side will fail to organise systematic positional attacks.