Mainz will take on Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga on Saturday, 9 November with the away team looking to build on last week's impressive win over RB Leipzig.
Nuri Sahin's job was hanging by a thread before Dortmund's clash with Leipzig but that 2-1 triumph, coupled with their Champions League win on Tuesday, has relieved some pressure which could see things improve even further for the club.
Mainz, meanwhile, are stuck in the bottom half of the table at present. A win here could see them move up to 8th, though, providing other results go their way.
How the bookies view it: The visitors start as favourites
There are currently six points and eight places between the two teams so it's no surprise that Borussia Dortmund are the favourites with the bookies despite being the away team. Betfred have priced a win for Dortmund at 21/20 while a victory for Mainz has been priced at 23/10. The draw, which would be a good result for the hosts, has been priced at 11/4.
Recent head-to-head: Encouragement for both teams
Mainz have plenty of reasons to be confident coming into this one when you look at the recent H2H record between the two clubs. Mainz are unbeaten in their last three matches against Borussia Dortmund (one win, two draws) so are clearly capable of solving the Dortmund puzzle.
On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund will point to the fact that they had won four matches in a row against Mainz prior to their three-match winless streak.
Players to watch: Guirassy
Serhou Guirassy has done well for Dortmund since signing for the club in the summer from Stuttgart with his best moment for them so far coming last week when he netted the winner in the important win over RB Leipzig.
Guirassy was only outscored by Harry Kane in the Bundesliga, scoring 26 goals as Stuttgart finished second in the league. So far this season, he has five goals in seven appearances after his start to the season was delayed due to a lingering injury.
Mainz have relied on their defence in recent weeks as goals at the other end have dried up. They kept a clean sheet last week against Freiburg but will do well to repeat that feat against Guirassy and co. Experienced defender, Stefan Bell, has come back into the team and put on a clinic last week – can he do the same on Saturday?
Predicted line-ups
Mainz have defensive issues with Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Moritz Jenz both ruled out of this one. Top scorer, Jonathan Burkadt, is also a doubt. Borussia Dortmund have a lengthy injury list with five players, including Karim Adeyemi and Niklas Sule, out and a further five doubtful.
Mainz: Zentner – Kohr, Bell, Leitsch – Caci, Amiri, Sano, Mwene – Nebel, Lee, Burkardt
Borussia Dortmund: Meyer – Gross, Can, Anton, Schlotterbeck – Sabitzer, Nmecha – Beier, Brandt, Gittens – Guirassy
Anything else catch the eye?
Mainz have had to tighten things up in recent weeks and as a result, just one of their last five Bundesliga matches has produced more than two goals. Dortmund haven't been involved in high-scoring games recently, either, with two of their last producing fewer than three goals. Under 2.5 goals to be scored on Saturday has been priced at 11/8 by Betfred.
This German Bundesliga match between Mainz and Borussia Dortmund will be played on Nov 9, 2024 and kick off at 14:30. Check below for our tipsters best Mainz vs Borussia Dortmund prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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