Bayern Munich vs Mainz 05

Back to the Bundesliga following a 3-0 thumping of Barcelona in midweek Champions League action, perennial champions Bayern Munich welcome Mainz 05 to the Allianz Arena.

Malicious speculation linking head coach Julian Nagelsmann with a sacking seems to have infuriated the ‘Bavarians,’ who take the field inspired by an eight-match unbeaten run across all competitions (W7, D1). After a sub-par seven-game Bundesliga start by their standards (W3, D3, L1), Nagelsmann’s men have put together four league games without losing (W3, D1), averaging 3.25 goals per match in the process. It’ll take nothing short of a miracle to prevent Bayern from building on their free-scoring form, considering they’ve drawn a blank only once in their 32 Bundesliga clashes against Mainz. In fact, they average more goals per top-flight game against Mainz (2.75) than they do against any other current Bundesliga resident.

In the meantime, visiting Mainz dismantled Cologne 5-0 at home last weekend, making it two Bundesliga wins in a row following a four-game winless league run (D2, L2). With Mainz’s last three top-flight victories yielding a clean sheet, scoring first could be decisive for whoever gets on the scoresheet first. Despite the odds being stacked against them, ‘Die Nullfünfer’ would be forgiven for fancying their chances in Munich after collecting a league-high 12 away points in the Bundesliga this term (W4, L2). The four away victories they’ve managed so far are already more than they amassed across the whole of 2021/22 (3), highlighting the team’s improvement under Bo Svensson. On top of that, the visitors have won two of their last three Bundesliga meetings with Bayern (L1)!