BUNDESLIGA
25 February 2017 14:30
BayArena Leverkusen
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Bayer Leverkusen vs Mainz 05 Preview and Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen has been mercurial in the past few rounds with three wins, two losses, and a draw in their last six matches. The team is currently settled in the eighth spot of the 18-team league table, four points below sixth-running team Hertha Berlin and the final Europa League qualifying berth for the next season.
Bayer routed another struggling side, FC Augsburg, 3-1 during their most recent Bundesliga fixture last Friday on the road at the SGL Arena, as per SkySports.
Mexican striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez was the man of the match for head coach Roger Schmidt as the former Real Madrid and Manchester United standout netted a brace in the 40th and 65th minutes to lead his team against the Fuggerstädter.
German midfielder Karim Bellarabi opened the scoring in the 23rd minute before Hernandez’s two-goal haul while Augsburg midfielder Dominik Kohr scored the consolation goal for his squad on the hour-mark of the match.
Meanwhile, Mainz has continued to struggle in midseason with five winless games in their last six outings. The team has dropped to the 13th place in the overall standings as a result, only five points above the bottom three relegation area.
Die Nullfünfer was blanked by bottom three squad Werder Bremen, 0-2, at their own home ground of Coface Arena last Saturday to suffer their second loss in three games, The Guardian reported.
Head coach Martin Schmidt’s side was again not able to score a goal in the defeat while surrendering two to the hosts, courtesy of Serge Gnabry and Thomas Delaney in the 16th and 23rd minutes.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is another 3-1 victory by Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayer Leverkusen starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Leno; Henrichs, Jedvaj, Dragovic, Wendell; Bender, Kampl; Bellarabi, Havertz, Brandt; Hernandez
Mainz starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Lossl; Donati, Bell, Ramalho, Brosinski; Gbamin, Latza; Oztunali, Bojan, Jairo; Cordoba
