Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich will look to keep their unbeaten run intact when they hit the road to face FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday.
Vincent Kompany’s men have been on fire in the 2024/25 season and have already established a six-point lead at the top. Bayern Munich will look to build on it when they square up against FSV Mainz who are currently ninth on the Bundesliga table.
The home team have accumulated 19 points in their 13 outings thanks to five wins, four draws and as many defeats. They did gather some momentum with three consecutive wins in the league but it all came to an end in their last outing.
They ended up losing 4-3 against Wolfsburg as Jonas Wind’s late brace powered the home team to a win. Mainz will be looking to return to winning ways but they have a massive challenge ahead in Bayern.
The visitors are top of the table with 33 points in their 13 outings thanks to 10 wins and three draws. They have won four out of their last five league games and are heading into this fixture on the back of an impressive outing in the Champions League.
Despite conceding an early goal, the German giants took apart Shakhtar Donetsk (5-1) and will be confident of getting the job done against Mainz away from home.
The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
FSV Mainz 05
The home team will be without the services of Danny da Costa and Gabriel Vidovic, who are currently out injured. Apart from the duo, everyone else is expected to be fully fit for this weekend’s fixture.
FSV Mainz 05 will stick to the 3-4-2-1 formation against Bayern Munich, with Robin Zentner taking his place in goal. The back three will be made up of Dominik Kohr, Stefan Bell and Maxim Leitsch.
They will look to keep things tight at the back against a star-studded Bayern Munich attack while receiving significant support from Anthony Caci and Phillipp Mwene, who will feature as wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Kaishu Sano will start alongside Nadiem Amiri. The duo will look to ensure that Bayern do not end up dominating the proceedings. Jonathan Burkardt will be the lone forward up top but he will have the support of Paul Nebel and Lee Jae-sung who will feature as the attacking midfielders just behind him.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Zentner; Kohr, Bell, Leitsch; Caci, Sano, Amiri, Mwene; Nebel, Lee; Burkardt
Bayern Munich
The visitors will be without quite a few first-team stars as Alphonso Davies, Hiroki Ito, Josip Stanisic, Kingsley Coman, Harry Kane, and Joao Palhinha are all out injured. Daniel Peretz will continue in goal as Manuel Neuer is injured, and Sven Ulreich is out because of personal reasons.
Bayern Munich will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Daniel Peretz in goal. Konrad Laimer and Raphael Guerreiro will be the full-backs, with Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae starting in the central defensive partnership.
The back four will be protected by the double pivot of Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic. They will not only look to control the tempo but also dominate the ball. Jamal Musiala should take up the role of being the chief creator with Leroy Sane and Michael Olise on the flanks. In the absence of Kane, Thomas Muller will most likely take up the number nine role.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Peretz; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Musiala, Sane; Muller
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich have won 31 out of their last 41 matches against FSV Mainz 05, who only have seven wins to their name.
- Both teams last met in March 2024, and Bayern Munich ended up putting eight goals past Mainz (8-1).
- Interestingly, Mainz have won each of their last three home games against the league leaders of the Bundesliga. All three of their win have come against Bayern.
- Bayern Munich have made their best start to a league campaign since 2015/16 with 33 points in 10 outings.
- The Bavarians have the best attack (41 goals scored) and the best defence (10 goals conceded) in the Bundesliga this season.
Player to Watch
Michael Olise
Olise has hardly had any problem adjusting to life at Bayern Munich following his move from Crystal Palace. The 24-year-old winger has nine goals and seven assists in his 21 outings thus far for the Bavarian outfit.
The Frenchman’s ability to take on defenders and get past them without much trouble makes him a special player, and Mainz defenders will surely have a lot of problems stopping him in his tracks. Olise could have a big say on the end result of this fixture.
Prediction
FSV Mainz 05 1-4 Bayern Munich
Mainz’s four-game unbeaten run came to an end in their last outing and now they will be looking to get things back on track but they won’t find it easy against Bayern Munich. The home team will look to scrip an upset, but they are unlikely to get the better of the away team, who have been unbeaten in the Bundesliga so far. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 4-1 win for the visitors.