League leaders Bayern Munich The aim is to consolidate their leading position Bundesliga table when they travel to Mewa Arena on Saturday where they will face off Mainz 05 in their 14th league game of the 2024/25 season.

Mainz has 19 points and is in ninth place in the table Lost against Wolfsburg 3:4 on December 8th, while Bayern defeated Heidenheim 4:2 on December 7 and their tally of 33 points is six more than second-place Eintracht Frankfurt.

Game preview

© Imago

Mainz had won the three games before the defeat against Wolfsburg and lost to Wolves despite leading 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2.

manager Bo Henriksen said that he was largely satisfied with his team’s performance against Wolfsburg: “It was a crazy game. We are obviously disappointed because we showed a really good performance today – against a really good team. We played good football at half-time, but of course we also have to defend a little better in the last 10 minutes.

The defensive weakness of Henriksen’s team last Sunday was perhaps unexpected, as they had kept three clean sheets and conceded just one goal in their last four games.

At the other end of the pitch, the carnival club’s 23 goals scored in the Bundesliga are the seventh best offensive performer in the division, with the club scoring 11 goals in their last four top-flight games.

Mainz’s home record in the league is mixed, as they have won two and drawn one of their last three matches at the Mewa Arena, but have lost the previous three.

© Imago

What Vincent KompanyFor the Azerbaijan team, they go into Saturday’s duel with a lead defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 on Tuesday in the Champions League, and the game marked the ninth time they have scored four or more goals in a single game this season.

If there was one negative to take away from Tuesday’s win, it was that they failed to keep a clean sheet for a fourth game in a row.

Kompany noted after his side’s win over Shakhtar that his players still had room for improvement, telling reporters: “Sometimes you can be vulnerable to counterattacks when you are so dominant. We will continue to work on it in detail. “But we could have won 5-0 and I would still say we need to improve.”

With 41 goals and ten goals conceded, Bayern also have the best offensive and defensive record in the league, although their goal difference of 31 is significantly better than Eintracht Frankfurt’s +15.

Bayern are in excellent form considering they have triumphed in nine of their last 11 games and their only defeat was a loss 0-1 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB Cup on December 3rd.

The visitors’ away record is also strong as they have won four of their last five games, scoring 16 goals and conceding just two.

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:

Form of Mainz 05 (all competitions):

Bayern Munich Bundesliga form:

Form of FC Bayern Munich (all competitions):

Team news

© Imago

Mainz midfielder Danny da Costa He is not scheduled to return from a groin injury until January 2025, so you can expect starters Kaishu Sano And Nadiem Amiri to establish a partnership in the middle of the park.

Winger Gabriel VidovicAn ankle injury could keep him out until the end of February 2025 and his absence could mean Henriksen is selected Paul Nebel, Jae-sung Lee And Jonathan Burkardt in the forward line.

In defense, Dominik Kohr, Stefan Bell And Maxim Leitsch are expected to play in the back three in front of the goalkeeper Robin Zentner.

The away team will probably start with a back four Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae And Raphael Guerreiro given Alphonso Davies, Hiroki Ito And Josip Stanisic were excluded.

Daniel Perez will probably appear in the face of in goal Manuel Neuer‘s rib injury, as well as the fact Sven Ulreich may be absent for personal reasons.

Kingsley Coman And Harry Kane Both have hamstring problems, which could mean Kompany is in the starting lineup Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala And Leroy Sane behind Thomas Müller in attack.

Joshua Kimmich will almost certainly be a partner Aleksandar Pavlovic given in midfield Joao PalhinhaThe Portuguese could be out until mid-January due to a groin injury.

Possible starting lineup for Mainz 05:
hundredweight; Kohr, Bell, Leitsch; Caci, Sano, Amiri, Mwene; Mist, Lee; Burkardt

Possible starting lineup for FC Bayern Munich:
Peretz; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Musiala, Sane; Müller

We say: Mainz 05 – Bayern Munich 1:3

Bayern have been strong in front of goal all season and it is plausible that they could score several goals on Saturday.

However, given the injuries in defense and Neuer, Mainz will likely have chances of their own and may at least prevent the visitors from keeping a clean sheet.

To data analyze the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this game Please click here.

Previews via email