Fri Feb 07 21:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Werder Bremen Captain Veljkovic Leads Weakened Side Against Bayern Munich

**Munich, Germany** – SV Werder Bremen will face FC Bayern Munich on Friday, February 7th, at 8:30 PM, severely hampered by injuries and suspensions. Coach Ole Werner will be absent due to a red card suspension, with assistant coach Patrick Kohlmann taking charge.

Several key players are unavailable. Romano Schmid (muscle problems), Niklas Stark and Marco Friedl (both yellow-red card suspensions), Julián Malatini (calf injury), Leonardo Bittencourt (thigh injury), and Keke Topp (injury) are all out. This forced significant changes to the starting lineup.

Milos Veljkovic will captain the side, partnering with Amos Pieper and Anthony Jung in a three-man defense. Marco Grüll will replace Schmid in midfield. Winter signing André Silva and youngster Mick Schmetgens will make their Werder debuts. Felix Agu also returns to the squad after injury.

Werder’s starting XI will be: Zetterer; Pieper, Veljkovic (C), Jung; Weiser, Lynen, Köhn; Stage, Grüll; Njinmah, Ducksch. The substitutes are: Backhaus; Silva, Burke, Agu, Alvero, Kaboré, Covic, Schmetgens.

Despite a valiant effort, Werder Bremen ultimately lost the match 3:0. Justin Njinmah and Stage both had to leave the game due to injuries. Post-match comments focused on the disappointment of the result and the challenges posed by the numerous absences. The article also notes unrelated news about Manchester City’s transfer activity and Manchester United’s FA Cup victory against Leicester City, including a controversial offside goal.

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