The match will kick off at the WOHNINVEST Weserstadion on Saturday afternoon (15:30 CET).
It's been a special week for SC Freiburg so far. Last Saturday, Christian Streich's men played their 700th Bundesliga game, winning 2-1 against Borussia Dortmund - their first win over BVB for over 10 years. Then, on Thursday, the club announced that it had extended Streich's contract once again.
"The situation that's developed at SC Freiburg over the last decade is special. Where else do you see a sporting director, a chairman and a head coach who have worked together for so long? It's really something special," Streich said during a virtual press conference on Thursday.
Streich, who will celebrate his 10th year as head coach of SCF in December, added that there's an additional responsibility that comes with the job. "It's not just a job, but also our home," he said. When talking about the present situation, Streich said "I really enjoy working with all the guys and the team. It's a real honour to be able to work with so many young players."
The recent victory over Borussia Dortmund - his first since taking charge of the club - was the icing on top of another record for Christian Streich. SC Freiburg currently have 30 points after 20 matchdays - their best ever return at this stage of a season under Streich. The Breisgau side travel to Bremen currently sitting in eighth place and on the backs of an impressive seven wins, three draws and just two defeats from their last 12 Bundesliga games.
"Even if we didn't need to win against VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund, it's still a great position for us at the moment," he said. "We're on a really good path, and it's nice to have such a cushion between us and the bottom." At the same time, the coach wasn't 100 per cent pleased with the performance against Dortmund. The team misplaced a few too many passes, while also allowing their opponents too much space at times.
In Bremen, the team will look to be more focused when in possession and while playing passes. SV Werder, who only escaped relegation via the playoffs last season, go into the match sitting in 11th place. After starting the second half of the season with a 1-1 win against Hertha BSC, they followed it up with a 1-1 draw against Schalke, before having their game last Sunday against Arminia Bielefeld called off due to inclement weather conditions.
Lately, head coach Florian Kohfeldt's side have been focused on staying compact and switching over to quick counter-attacks. "We will be facing a very tough challenge, because Werder are prepared to work hard out of possession and to then switch over," said Streich. "It will be a lively game, and it will be interesting to see whether we manage to strike the right balance between having an attacking mindset and not being punished on the counter."
In addition to goalkeeper Mark Flekken (rehabilitation), attackers Roland Sallai (ankle ligament injury) and Changhoon Kwon (fibula injury) will not be available for selection this weekend.
Although Streich is enjoying the current wintery conditions in Freiburg, the recent heavy snowfall in the region has not been ideal in training over the past days. "I think it's nice that we finally have a real winter again, but it's not that nice to train in because there's some things that we weren't able to do on the pitch," he said.
Instead, the team turned to video analysis sessions to study up on their opponents as well as the areas on which they need to focus ahead of the game. The sessions likely also included outtakes from the 1-1 draw in Freiburg earlier this season.
Christian Streich is once again expecting a close game during Saturday's rematch against Werder. "It will be a very exciting game for us," he said. "We need to get Bremen moving and find solutions for when they drop back and play compact."

Photo: Achim Keller