Bayer Leverkusen will look to continue their dominance in the Bundesliga when they host relegation-threatened FSV Mainz.
Bayer Leverkusen and FSV Mainz are two teams from the opposite half of the table. While the league leaders have been on a dominating winning streak, the visitors have only won twice so far this season and are in desperate need of points to come out of the drop zone.
Bayer Leverkusen have gone from strength to strength under Xabi Alonso. The German club have not lost a game all season long. They are unbeaten in all competitions and at the top of the Bundesliga with an eight-point advantage over the second-placed Bayer Munich.
Die Werkself have won each their last three league games and will look to make four in a row when they square up against Mainz at home. Alonso’s team are heading into this one on the back of a 2-1 win over Heidenheim. It was a dominant display by the league leaders, and they came out top as deserved winners.
The visitors are currently 17th on the points table, with just 15 points out of their 22 outings. They have only won twice so far this season. They are the second-lowest-scoring team in the division, so things have not worked out well for them.
They have competed with the very best in the division and have even managed to play out draws against them. But, they have not won enough games. Mainz are seven points off safety, and they are heading into this one on the back of a 1-0 win over Augsburg, their first in 12 matches.
It was a closely fought encounter, but they did manage to come out on top. Now, Mainz need to defeat Bayer Leverkusen on the road to add to their previous win, something that looks very unlikely. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the two teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Bayer Leverkusen
The home team will be without the services of Victor Boniface, Exequiel Palacios and Arthur. Odilon Kossounou will be pushing for a start in this fixture, after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations as champion with Ivory Coast and making it to the matchday squad for their last fixture.
Edmond Tapsoba is back from international duty as well and will look for a place in the XI. Lukas Hradecky will be in goal for Bayer Leverkusen, as Xabi Alonso will stick to a 3-4-2-1 formation. The back three will be made up of Josip Stanisic, Jonathan Tah, and Piero Hincapie.
They will look to keep a clean sheet and will receive support from Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo, who will feature as the wing-backs. Granit Xhaka and Robert Andrich will take charge in the centre of the park. The duo will look to dictate the pace of the game and control the tempo.
Florian Wirtz and Amine Adli will be the two attacking midfielders behind striker Patrik Schick, who will be leading the line for Bayer Leverkusen against Mainz on Friday night.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Stanisic, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo; Adli, Wirtz; Schick
FSV Mainz
The visitors will be without the services of Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Nelson Weiper and Stefan Bell. The availability of Edmilson Fernandes, Maxim Leitsch, and Jonathan Burkardt is doubtful, and they will be assessed ahead of kick-off.
Mainz will continue with the 3-4-3 formation after new head coach Bo Henriksen guided them to a win in his very first outing. He will stick, with Robin Zentner in goal. The back three will be made up of Dominik Kohr, Sepp van den Berg, and Josuha Guilavogui. The trio will look to keep a clean sheet and will receive support from their full-backs Phillipp Mwene and Anthony Caci.
While the duo will look to ensure they keep things tight at the back, they will also look to join the attack. Leandro Barreiro and Nadiem Amiri will be the two central midfielders, and they will look to ensure Leverkusen midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings.
Brajan Gruda and Lee Jae-sung will be the two wingers for the visitors. The duo will look to provide width to their attacks and create chances for Karim Onisiwo, who will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Zentner; Kohr, Van den Berg, Guilavogui; Mwene, Barreiro, Amiri, Caci; Gruda, Onisiwo, Lee
Key Stats
- Bayer Leverkusen have been unbeaten throughout the season (32 matches played, 28 won).
- Mainz are yet to win away from home while Leverkusen are the only team to have not lost at home.
- The reverse fixture between the two teams ended in favour of Leverkusen (3-0).
- This will be Wirtz’s 100th Bundesliga fixture and he will be the fourth youngest to get to that mark.
- The visitors ended an 11-match-long unbeaten run when they won in their last outing.
Player to Watch
Granit Xhaka
Xhaka has been in sensational form since joining Bayer Leverkusen from Arsenal last summer. The 31-year-old defensive midfielder has been one of the mainstays in Xabi Alonso’s team in the ongoing edition. He has featured in a total of 30 matches so far and has racked up over 2500 minutes.
He has even contributed with an assist. Xhaka might never get the limelight, but he is quietly doing his bit, and the former Arsenal captain will hope the 31-year-old gets it done for his team yet again.
Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 FSV Mainz
The arrival of new boss Bo Henriksen could be a turning point for 17th-placed Mainz as they look to avoid relegation. He has already guided them to their first win in 12 matches and is expected to give Bayer Leverkusen a tough fight.
But, given the difference in quality of the two sides, Mainz might not have enough in their tank to stop Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, who have been a force to reckon with throughout the season. They are unbeaten and will give it their all to keep that record intact. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the home team.
