Mainz 05 vs Borussia Dortmund
29 January 2017 • 16:30 •
Coface Arena, Mainz
Mainz 05 vs Borussia Dortmund Preview
Mainz is reeling at the moment with only one win in their last six outings. The team has dropped to the 11th spot in the overall standings as a result, eight points above the bottom three relegation area and tied on points with 10th-place team Schalke but has a lesser a goal differential.
In their most recent Bundesliga match last Sunday, Die Nullfünfer was held to a 0-0 tie by seventh-running team Cologne also at their home field of Coface Arena, as per Sofa Score.
The draw was only the second unbeaten performance of head coach Martin Schmidt’s side in the last six rounds of German top flight competitions and the third time in four games that they were not able to score a single goal.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund snapped a three-game winless skid with a 2-1 win over a 10-man Werder Bremen squad on the road at the Weser-Stadion last Saturday, Goal reported.
German winger Andre Schurrle scored the opening goal for head coach Thomas Tuchel’s squad in the fifth minute before Werder Bremen goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny was sent off in the 39th minute following a hard foul on Marco Reus.
Even with a one-man disadvantage, Bremen was able to equalize in the 59th with a right-footer by Fin Bartels off a headed pass from Clemens Fritz.
However, Dortmund defender Lukasz Piszczek scored the winning goal in the 71st minute to claim the victory and three points in the overall standings.
Die Borussen is currently in the fourth place in the league table, holding the final Champions League qualifying berth for next season.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a 2-0 win by Borussia Dortmund.
Mainz starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Lossl; Bussmann, Bungert, Brosinski, Bell; Jairo, Frei, Oztunali, Latza; Muto, De Blasis
Borussia Dortmund starting lineup (4-1-3-2 formation): Weidenfeller; Schmelzer, Ginter, Piszczek, Papastathopoulos; Kagawa; Castro, Weigl, Pulisic; Reus, Schurrle
