Bayer Leverkusen will be aiming to stay close to the summit as they take on Champions League-chasing Mainz 05 at the BayArena.
Bayer Leverkusen resumed Bundesliga action with a thrilling encounter away at Borussia Dortmund and came out with all three points. Xabi Alonso’s side maintained their stunning form away from home an early goal from Nathan Tella, and a Patrik Schick brace helped them steer past Nuri Sahin’s men.
Leverkusen will enter the next round of fixtures in confident form, although they will have wanted Bayern Munich to drop off. The league leaders re-took a four-point lead courtesy of a second-half Harry Kane penalty to secure three points against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Alonso’s men have once again been tremendous this season, and of late, they have won their last nine games across all competitions while taking advantage of Bayern’s mini-drop off. Overall, Leverkusen are still one of the big challengers for Die Roten, and they will now take on Mainz 05 on home soil, where they have lost just once this season but have been unbeaten in their last 11 games here.
Meanwhile, Mainz 05 have been in tremendous form heading into this clash and continued to push for a Champions League place with a win over VfL Bochum. Bo Henriksen’s men have truly been the surprise Bundesliga package this season. However, their performances have gone under the radar due to the displays of Eintracht Frankfurt and, to an extent, RB Leipzig.
In any case, Mainz have won their last three Bundesliga games, including those against leaders Bayern Munich as well as third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt. Henriksen will be aiming for another big scalp in Leverkusen, which does make this game a promising watch for the neutrals. A solid win here would put them into the reckoning of a Champions League spot and certainly help build big momentum for the immediate future.
Team News & Tactics
Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen do not have too much to worry about when it comes to injuries, but there are some key absentees in striker Victor Boniface and Amine Adli. So far, Xabi Alonso’s men have been able to cope without the duo, as the manager may not look to make wholesale alterations following their win over Dortmund.
Nathan Tella and Patrik Schick have made themselves indispensable for the time being, meaning Alonso will continue to persist with the duo in the starting lineup, while Florian Wirtz is more than guaranteed a place in the attacking setup.
Granit Xhaka and Robert Andrich are the likely central midfield pairing for this one, while Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo are the choices in the wide roles. There were some doubts about Leverkusen’s defences, although key starters Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapie are all fit to start this one.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Tella, Wirtz; Schick
FSV Mainz 05
Bo Henriksen will be missing a few players for this daunting trip to Bayer Leverkusen, as midfielder Nadiem Amiri will sit out through a suspension. Paul Nebel is also reportedly unavailable for this encounter with a calf injury, as he is only expected to return around late February.
Those absences will ensure Henriksen will place his trust in the likes of Kaishu Sano and Dominik Kohr to feature in the midfield, with Anthony Caci and Phillipp Mwene are the likely starters in the wing-back roles for Mainz.
Winger Gabriel Vidovic is also ruled out for this encounter, meaning Jonathan Burkardt will have Lee Jae-sung as his partner in the attacking setup, with Armindo Sieb leading the line for Mainz.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Zentner; Costa, Bell, Jenz; Caci, Sano, Kohr, Mwene; Lee, Burkardt; Sieb
Key Stats
- Bayer Leverkusen have won their last six matches in the Bundesliga.
- Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 11 games at home.
- Mainz 05 have scored at least two goals in their last seven matches in the Bundesliga.
- Mainz have won their last three Bundesliga games.
Player to Watch
Patrik Schick
The striker continued his tremendous form in front of goal, as he added another two goals to his tally against Borussia Dortmund at the weekend. After drawing blanks in his first seven games of the Bundesliga season, the Czech attacker has come to the party by scoring 11 goals in his last six encounters, including the brace at the weekend and 4 goals against Freiburg.
Schick will be crucial once again for Leverkusen when they take on Champions League-chasing Mainz, and Xabi Alonso will want the striker to keep up his solid form in front of the goal. The absence of Victor Boniface does affect Schick’s performance, as the striker will want to put in another influential display.
Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 FSV Mainz 05
Mainz are likely to come into this game full of confidence following some stellar results, which include wins over Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt. There should be no doubt in Bo Henriksen’s mind about wanting another big scalp in the form of Bayer Leverkusen, although Xabi Alonso’s men pose a more robust challenge for the visitors.
Leverkusen are in a superior vein of form ahead of this clash with Mainz and will ensure they take three points, purely based on their attacking and goalscoring ability. Alonso’s men have the momentum and the pressure to keep themselves as close as possible to Bayern Munich, meaning they will likely win this one on home soil, where they have been tremendous all season and well over the last 18 months.
