**Bundesliga's preseason battle royale** — both sides rolling hot with matching 4W-1L records, and this is the kind of fixture where friendlies stop feeling so friendly. ⚽

Bremen's cruising through their opener, posting back-to-back shutouts before a scrappy 4-2 win last time out. Paderborn aren't far behind, took down Southampton and are hitting their groove despite a stinger vs Magdeburg. Both teams clearly dialed in for the campaign ahead.

Key storylines:

- **S. Musah** leading Bremen's press in the front line, while **K. Okpala** anchors Paderborn's attacking shape from the bench role
- **M. Friedl** and **K. Coulibaly** anchoring Bremen's backline against Paderborn's quick 3-4-2-1 transitions
- Fresh preseason momentum on both sides — this feels like a proper test, not a training exercise

Expected lineups:

- **SV Werder Bremen**: M. Backhaus, A. Pieper, K. Coulibaly, M. Friedl, F. Agu, S. Lynen, R. Schmid, J. Njinmah, J. Stage, M. Grüll, S. Musah
- **SC Paderborn 07**: M. Schubert, M. Hansen, T. L. Scheller, F. Götze, J. Sticker, L. Curda, S. Castaneda, M. Baur, S. Marino, R. Müller, K. Okpala

Prediction:

**Bremen 2–1 Paderborn**. Slight edge to the Greens at home; both teams too sharp to let this go scoreless, but Bremen's recent shutout streak edges it.