Mainz vs Bayern preview

December 1, 2016
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Mainz vs Bayern MunichMid table side Mainz will attempt to make the Bundesliga title chase even more interesting by preventing Bayern Munich from winning at OPEL Arena.

The Bavarians sit three points behind surprise leaders RB Salzburg and they need to start a new winning run if they aim to return to the league summit.

Mainz did well to establish themselves as a genuine mid table side in German Bundesliga and they even managed to secure European qualification on four occasions.

Granted, they were unable to qualify for the Europa League group stages at first three attempts, but this term they have ended the poor run.

The European campaign is probably the main reason why Mainz have been punching below their weight on domestic stage, as they currently occupy ninth position in the overall standings.

The Opel Arena outfit defeated Ingolstadt and Freiburg in their last two home games, but they lost five of last six away fixtures, which is definitely a cause for concern.

Coach Martin Schmidt faces some selection problems as Suat Serdar, Jose Rodriguez and Christian Clemens are all out injured.

Yoshinori Muto faces a fitness test as he battles a knee injury, but Danny Latza has made a comeback after a seven-month spell on the sidelines. Jean-Philippe Gbamin is banned.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Lossi – Donati, Balogun, Bungert, Bussmann – Ramalho, Frei – Oztunalli, Malli, De Biasis – Seydel.

Even if there is still a long way to go until decisive battles for major trophies, it is fair to say that this season didn’t have the best of starts for Bayern Munich.

The Bavarians had to settle for a second-place finish in their Champions League group following defeats to Atletico Madrid and Rostov, while they currently occupy second position in the Bundesliga standings.

The good news is that they are six points clear of arch rivals Borussia Dortmund despite losing the derby game, but they are now looking at the backs of newly-promoted RB Salzburg.

Bayern Munich are going through a very rough patch at the moment, as a three-match winless run was followed by an unconvincing victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

Nevertheless, they have been made 1.33 (1/3) favourites to defeat Mainz and place extra pressure on red-hot RB Leipzig ahead of their clash with Schalke.

There have been some good news for head coach Carlo Ancelotti as both Robert Lewandowski and Jerome Boateng resumed full training.

Javi Martinez is also training with the squad, but Xabi Alonso is unlikely to feature, just like Kingsley Coman and Julian Green.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Neuer – Lahm, Boateng, Hummels, Alaba – Vidal, Kimmich, Thiago – Muller, Lewandowski, Douglas Costa.

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