Bayern Munich will hope to reach the summit of the table when they travel to Mainz in a Friday night Bundesliga encounter between the two sides. A win will temporarily see Bayern leapfrog Leipzig and if the East Germans fail to win or draw their game against Schalke on Saturday.
After a nervy win against Bayer Leverkusen last week, Carlo Ancelotti’s troops will look to regain their confidence against Mainz, a side who won against Bayern at the Allianz Arena in March 2016, ending a run of seven straight league losses against the Bavarians. They have never managed consecutive competitive victories against FCB. The carnival club have lost more often in the league (14), conceded more goals (51) and won fewer points per game, than any other club against Bayern.
Evidently, Carlo Ancelotti’s men boast a very good record prior to the fixture. Having won all three of their Friday night games this season, scoring 14 goals and conceding none in the process.
Robert Lewandowski has scored a brace on each of his last three visits to Mainz. If he manages another this weekend, he will become the first-ever Bundesliga player to score at least two goals in four consecutive games away vs. the same opposition.
However, the record champions aren’t having a good time either, failing to keep a clean sheet in 11 of their last 12 fixtures, conceding 14 in the process. Bayern have conceded in each of their last four league games – their longest such run since February 2014.
Mainz, on the other hand, are also experiencing a mixed season, the 05-ers were knocked out of the Europa league recently and are currently ninth in the table. Yunus Malli could score in his fifth consecutive home match and set out a new record for the club. The young midfielder is currently the most productive Mainz player this season with six goals and four assists.
Team News
Bayern recently have again started to suffer from injuries. Jerome Boateng is still a doubt, even though Carlo Ancelotti hinted of his good fitness ahead of the clash. Same can be said for Spanish international defender Javi Martinez. Kingsley Coman and Arjen Robben remain as absentees for the Mainz game.
As for Mainz, head coach Martin Schmidt will miss the services of young midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin, through a suspension, after he received a red card in his last game against Hertha. Another young midfielder Suat Serdar will also miss out along with former Schalke winger Christoph Clemens. The coach will also miss Japanese striker Yoshinori Muto and Danish Emil Berggreen through injuries.
Predicted Lineups
1. FSV Mainz 05: (4-2-3-1 formation): Jonas Lossl; Giulio Donati, Niko Bungert, Leon Balogun, Gaetan Bussmann; Andre Ramalho, Danny Latza; Levin Oztunali, Yunus Malli, Pablo De Blasis, Jhon Cordoba
FC Bayern: (4-3-3 formation): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Mats Hummels, Juan Bernat; Xabi Alonso, Arturo Vidal, Thiago Alcantara; Douglas Costa, Robert Lewandowski, Franck Ribery.
Prediction: Mainz 0:2 Bayern
