On the face of it, this is a fixture you’d expect Bayern Munich to breeze through given the circumstances. Mainz 05 last won a Bundesliga game back in April and are 17th in the league. However, in recent years Mainz have been somewhat of a bogey team for Bayern. Bo Svenson’s side ran out 3-1 winners in this fixture last season. Can they finally get lift off against all the odds this Saturday evening?
For Bayern, they come into this one needing to keep the pressure on current league leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Kicking off later in the day, Thomas Tuchel’s side could find themselves five points behind Leverkusen should they beat VfL Wolfsburg. However, Bayern have every right to be confident they can get the job done. Following Kingsley Coman’s two goals just before the international break, Bayern now boasts the best attacking line-up in the league. On average, Bayern are scoring three goals a game, while Mainz have the joint-worst defence having conceded 19 goals.
Team News
The big team news in the Bayern camp is that Manuel Neuer is back in full training. However, the club captain isn’t expected to feature against Mainz but will be available against SV Darmstadt the following week. Serge Gnabry, Raphaël Guerreiro, Dayot Upamecano all remain sidelined by injury for the visitors. However, captain Joshua Kimmich should feature having recovered from illness while with Germany in the international break. Expect Leroy Sané to replace Gnabry in a front three with Harry Kane and Coman.
For Mainz, they will be without Jonathan Burkardt and Andreas Hanche-Olsen due to injury, while Maxim Leitsch and Karim Onisiwo remain doubtful. The team will also be without new signing Anwar El Ghazi for some time. The 28-year-old was suspended by the club following a statement he put out on social media regarding the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza.
GGFN | Jamie Allen
