The background
West Ham United could lift their first silverware of the season on Sunday when they host Werder Bremen for the Betway Cup.
The four-time Bundesliga champions come to east London as both sides finalise their preparations for the new campaign, with West Ham hoping to bounce back from losing a two-goal lead against Astra Giurgiu in midweek.
Bremen’s season begins next weekend with a German Cup game against Wurzburger Kickers, while West Ham kick things off with a trip to Arsenal on 9 August.
Bremen’s pre-season has included a win over Sevilla, and coach Viktor Skrypnyk will look forward to another strong test in London.
The history
Werder were formed in 1899 and established themselves as one of the top clubs in northern Germany over the first half of the 20th century.
After the Bundesliga was formed in 1963, Bremen took their first national title two years later and now have four championships to their name.
Skrypnyk took the reins last autumn and led a recovery away from the foot of the table as Bremen ended in tenth.
West Ham last faced German opposition last year, when a pre-season match at Schalke 04 ended 0-0 with West Ham winning on penalties.
The match
Team news
West Ham United
The Hammers play their third game of the week on Sunday, so Slaven Bilic is sure to mix his team again.
Carl Jenkinson could feature for the first time at the Boleyn Ground since re-joining the Club from Arsenal, while Manuel Lanzini will also hope for a run out after arriving on loan from Al Jazira.
Enner Valencia suffered knee and ankle injuries against Astra and joins Andy Carroll, Winston Reid, Stephen Hendrie and Pedro Obiang on the injured list.
Werder Bremen
Werder’s top scorer from last season, Franco Di Santo, was solid to Schalke last week so Werder will be looking to new arrival Anthony Ujah for their goals this year.
Austrian Playmaker Zlatko Junuzovic, Levin Öztunali, Alejandro Gálvez and Cedrick Makiadi are unavailable.
Match info
- West Ham are undefeated in their first team friendlies this summer, defeating Norwich City and Southend United, and drawing with Charlton Athletic and Peterborough United.
- Werder are also unbeaten in ten friendlies, beating the likes of Sevilla and TSV 1860 Munich.
- Diafra Sakho is available again after being suspended for the visit of Astra in midweek, while James Tomkins and James Collins can play as their bans only apply to Europe.
- Over the last two years the Hammers have beaten Hamburg and Eintracht Braunschweig from the German top flight.
Tickets, travel, weather and coverage
- Tickets will be available on the door, priced at £25 Adults and £15 U16s.
- A sunny day is expected on Sunday, with temperatures reaching 25C (77F)
- The eastern branch of the District Line is open as normal on Sunday. Head to tfl.gov.uk for the latest on the tubes and nationalrail.co.uk for train news.
- Head to whufc.com on matchday for live updates and photos. You can get involved with the conversation on Social Media using #WHUBRE.