Bayern Munich will be eager to resurrect a stuttering season when they welcome FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
The business end of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season is approaching as we enter the final ten rounds of fixtures this weekend. Matchday 25 will get underway with the usual Friday kick-off before Saturday’s action gets underway with four simultaneous games, one of which will have Bayern Munich hosting FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern Munich would have hoped to win every trophy this season after landing Harry Kane last summer. But they lost the DFL Supercup 3-0 to RB Leipzig and bowed out of the DFB Pokal in the second round at the hands of FC Saarbrucken. But the biggest blow has come in the league, with Bayer Leverkusen running away with the Bundesliga title.
The reigning champions have fallen ten points behind the high-flying Bayer Leverkusen, dropping points in seven games thus far. While they have reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after a few hiccups, Thomas Tuchel has lost his job and will depart when the 2023/24 season ends.
As for Mainz, they have endured a horrendous 2023/24 campaign thus far. The 05ers have been in and around the relegation zone all season, costing two managers their jobs. Bo Svensson departed in November, with Jan Siewert taking over from him.
But the 41-year-old failed to galvanise the squad, and Bo Henriksen has replaced him at the club. Such has been their struggle that their joint-top scorers have only two goals thus far in the Bundesliga this term.
The reverse fixture saw Bayern Munich beating FSV Mainz 3-1 at the MEWA Arena, with Anthony Caci scoring the consolation goal for the 05ers. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bayern Munich
Thomas Tuchel has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against FSV Mainz 05, the Bayern Munich manager might be bereft of the services of six first-team players.
Aleksandar Pavlovic is the latest absentee, with the 19-year-old serving a suspension due to an accumulation of yellow cards. The teenage sensation has joined Bouna Sarr (knee), Tarek Buchmann (thigh), Noussair Mazraoui (hamstring), and Kingsley Coman (knee) on the sidelines. Sacha Boey might return to the matchday squad, but he will unlikely feature from the get-go.
Manuel Neuer will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Bayern Munich lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against FSV Mainz 05. The backline should feature Konrad Laimer, Matthijs de Ligt, Kim Min-jae, and Alphonso Davies.
Pavlovic’s absence through suspension means Joshua Kimmich will return in the double pivot, where he will accompany Leon Goretzka. Finally, Harry Kane will lead the line for the home side, with Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller, and Jamal Musiala being the supporting cast.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Laimer, de Ligt, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Muller, Musiala; Kane
FSV Mainz 05
Like his counterpart in the Bayern Munich dugout, Bo Henriksen has new issues to deal with ahead of the trip to the Allianz Arena. The FSV Mainz 05 manager will be without seven first-team players.
Dominik Kohr saw red in the 1-1 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach and has joined the suspension list alongside Jessic Ngankam and Leandro Barreiro. Meanwhile, Maxim Leitsch (muscular), Edmilson Fernandes (ankle), Nelson Weiper (knee), and Stefan Bell (illness) remain on the sidelines.
FSV Mainz 05 will line up in a 3-4-3 formation against Bayern Munich, with Robin Zentner taking his place in the goal. The central defensive unit should consist of Sepp van den Berg, Josuha Guilavogui, and Anthony Caci. The wing-backs — Phillipp Mwene and captain Silvan Widmer — will often drop deep to create a back five.
But they will also support the two midfielders — Nadiem Amiri and Tom Krauss — in the middle of the park. They will provide the width in the final third, allowing Brajan Gruda and Lee Jae-sung to veer infield. Finally, Jonathan Burkardt will spearhead the Mainz attack against Bayern Munich.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Zentner; van den Berg, Guilavogui, Caci; Widmer, Krauss, Amiri, Mwene; Gruda, Burkardt, Lee
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich have won their last six home games against FSV Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga since a 2-2 draw in April 2017. Among the current Bundesliga teams, they only have a longer run against Borussia Dortmund (9).
- Bayern Munich occupy the ninth spot in the table for the second half of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season thus far, managing only ten points and a negative goal difference. That is their joint-worst record in the first seven rounds of fixtures in the second half of a campaign in the three-points-per-win era alongside 2006/07 and 2008/09.
- Bayern Munich are unbeaten in their last 53 games against teams in the automatic relegation zone. Energie Cottbus were the last bottom-two side to beat them (2-0, 15 March 2008).
- Mainz have notched up four points from three games under Bo Henriksen (W1 D1 L1), as many as in nine outings under predecessor Jan Siewert.
- FSV Mainz 05 are the only team still to record an away win in this season’s Bundesliga (D6 L6).
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Kane has been an exceptional addition to the Bayern Munich squad. While the rest of the squad, especially the defenders, has faltered, the Englishman has been a beacon of consistency and excellence in the final third.
The 30-year-old averages a goal every 79 minutes in the Bundesliga while only failing to score in seven of his 24 outings. And while recent reports have created some speculation surrounding his future, Kane remains happy at Bayern Munich and will unlikely seek a summer move. So, he will be eager to extend his fine run and keep Bayern’s fading Bundesliga title hopes alive.
Prediction
Bayern Munich 2-1 FSV Mainz 05
The hosts have won only one of their last four Bundesliga games and two in their most recent six outings across all competitions. So, FSV Mainz 05 might feel the reigning Bundesliga champions are there for the taking. However, the away side’s defensive vulnerabilities will be the undoing for them.
Harry Kane will continue his superb campaign, adding to his tally with a match-winning brace. But the visitors should set up a nervy finale with a late goal before the Bavarian giants eke out a narrow win. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 victory for Thomas Tuchel and his charges.
