Mainz 05 vs Eintracht Frankfurt

In-form Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt head to Mewa Arena to take on bottom-half strugglers Mainz 05.

Mainz thought they were in a prime position to bounce back from a brace of multi-goal margin defeats to Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg when they clashed against Bundesliga basement boys Schalke 04 in midweek. Instead, they found themselves on the receiving end of a 1-0 scoreline, losing further ground on the European qualification spots. Despite a promising top-flight start, ‘Die Nullfünfer’ are currently closer to the relegation zone than the top-six places, mainly thanks to their dreadful home form. Bo Svensson’s men have won just once in their six Bundesliga matches at Mewa Arena (D3, L2) this season, averaging a measly 1.16 goals per game. On a more positive note, they’ve lost just once in their last 14 top-flight encounters against Frankfurt on home turf (W6, D7).

As for Eintracht Frankfurt, an emphatic 4-2 home triumph over TSG Hoffenheim in midweek Bundesliga action helped them climb to fifth in the standings, marking their fourth win across the last five league rounds (L1). With fourth-placed Freiburg only one point away, ‘Die Adler’ can enter the World Cup break as part of the Bundesliga top four if they build on an eye-catching away league form (W4, D1, L1). Oliver Glasner’s men have established themselves as ‘entertainment specialists’ on the road this term, with their last five Bundesliga away fixtures featuring over 2.5 total goals. More importantly, they have won their last four competitive games on hostile turf, while a fifth victory would equal their club record in professional football, dating back to 1993.