Test match cracker: Werder Bremen meets FC St. Pauli in Hamburg!

Test match cracker: Werder Bremen meets FC St. Pauli in Hamburg!

SV Werder Bremen is about to play an explosive test match against FC St. Pauli, which will take place on January 4, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. in the sold-out Millerntorstadion. This duel, which offers the two neighbors from the Bundesliga the opportunity to prepare for the second half of the season, will also be broadcast on WERDER.TV and SKY as well as a live ticker on WERDER.DE, as werder.de reports.

The game is also the first and only test game for Bremen during the winter break. Head coach Horst Steffen has decided to use almost all players over two halves in order to optimally prepare them for the upcoming competitive games, especially the first game of the second half of the season against TSG Hoffenheim on January 10th. After a mixed first half of the season and the current tenth place with 17 points from 15 games, everyone involved is looking for an upswing.

Keep an eye on the personnel situation

The personnel update is anything but positive. Long-term injuries such as Mitchell Weiser with his torn cruciate ligament and Felix Agu, who is suffering from a syndesmotic ligament injury, have been missing for months. Victor Boniface is also out with a knee injury, while Leonardo Bittencourt missed the start of training due to illness but is training individually. This situation poses challenges for the people of Bremen, but Steffen and his team are optimistic.

It will also be interesting to observe the development at FC St. Pauli, which is the only Bundesliga club to have already started winter preparation on December 30, 2025. Hamburg have been able to collect five points in their last three Bundesliga games and are currently in 16th place in the table with 12 points, which brings a lot of pressure for the friendly. The season got off to a mediocre start for the Kiezkickers, and they want to give new impetus to turn things around by playing against their “little” rivals.

Summary of the last duels

If you look back at the last encounters between the two teams, Bremen were able to leave the pitch as winners both in the Weserstadion and at the Millerntor. The last meeting in December 2024 ended with a clear 2-0 win for Werder, while the first leg of this season went to the green-whites with a narrow 1-0 win. This result will certainly give Bremen additional self-confidence.

Whatever the outcome of the game, there is a lot at stake for both teams. The Werder fans can look forward to an exciting test match that will, above all, test the commitment and processes within the team. Peter Niemeyer, head of professional football at Werder, expects his team to have a high level of concentration and a good performance on the pitch in order to optimally prepare for the challenges ahead. After the last setbacks in the Bundesliga, a success against St. Pauli could be exactly what Bremen needs.

The test match is not only a sporting challenge, but also an important step on the way back to success. All fans are invited to watch the game on WERDER.TV, Sky or in the live ticker.