Borussia Dortmund are determined to end their Bundesliga season on a high note against Werder Bremen, despite already securing second place. Niko Kovac believes Dortmund can be proud of their season ahead of the final match. Werder Bremen, meanwhile, have had a disappointing season but have secured their place in the league.
Dortmund’s Push for a Fifth-Best Season
Dortmund secured second place with a 3-2 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt. This win followed a defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach. They have accumulated 70 points this season. Only once in the past nine seasons have they had more points at this stage, with 73 in 2018/19. A win against Werder would represent their fifth-best Bundesliga season in history.
Despite the match at the Weserstadion being of little consequence in terms of league position for Dortmund, Kovac wants to end the season with a win. “We take the game very seriously,” said Kovac. “70 points sound good, 73 sound even better.”
He added, “With 71 I could live, but we go there to win. If someone had told us that we would finish the season safely in second place with 70 points – maybe even 73 – I would have signed that immediately and said: that would be a fantastic achievement.”
“We can be very satisfied with what we have achieved in the Bundesliga.”
Werder Bremen’s Struggles and Schmid’s Importance
Werder Bremen have had a disappointing season. However, they have secured their place in the league, sitting in 15th place with a six-point lead over the relegation zone. Their 32 points are their third-lowest total at this stage of a season. They had fewer points after 33 games in 2019/20 (28) and 2020/21 (31). Both of those seasons ended with them on 31 points.
Like Dortmund, Werder are only playing for pride. They head into the game with only one win from their last six league matches (D1 L4). Yukinari Sugawara will miss the game due to suspension. This increases the responsibility on Schmid.
The Austrian has featured in all 33 of Werder’s games this season. He also leads the club’s assist charts with eight.
Ryerson’s Assist Prowess for Dortmund
Julian Ryerson has provided 14 assists in the Bundesliga this season. This is the highest in his career. Only Henrikh Mkhitaryan (15 in 2015/16) and Jadon Sancho (16 in 2019/20) have managed more in a single season for Dortmund.
- Federico Dimarco (17, Inter)
- Michael Olise (19, Bayern München)
- Bruno Fernandes (19, Manchester United)
These are the only three players in Europe’s top five leagues in 2025/26 with more assists.
Historical Context and Prediction
Dortmund are unbeaten in their last six competitive games against Werder (W4 D2). This is their longest run against Bremen since a six-game streak under Jürgen Klopp between 2011 and 2014. Dortmund have won more Bundesliga matches against Eintracht Frankfurt (52) than against Bremen (50). Werder have lost more top-flight matches against Bayern Munich (65) than against Dortmund.
The match prediction favours a Borussia Dortmund win.
Despite Werder Bremen’s secured status and Dortmund’s already-confirmed second place, both teams will be looking to this match as an opportunity to end the season positively.