BAYERN MUNICH – MAINZ | Saturday 3:30pm
Seven wins and one draw in their last eight matches between Bundesliga, Champions League and German Cup: Bayern Munich are back to being Bayern Munich. Coach Julian Nagelsmann only needed to make a few adjustments – both tactically and in terms of formation – to regain the continuity that had been missing in the first two months of the new season. It was since last August that the Bavarians had not won two matches in a row in the championship: there was no history for Freiburg and Hoffenheim, moreover two teams fighting for important positions, in the last two days. Grifo and his team-mates were thrashed 5-0, and not even the Sinsheim line-up was able to scratch the defence of the defending champions: at the PreZero Arena, Bayern had already filed the file in the first half with goals from young Musiala and Choupo-Moting. The Cameroonian striker is one of those who has earned the most space in the last period thanks to the five goals scored in the four occasions Nagelsmann has given him by deploying him as a starter.
Bayern have also been the talk of the Champions League, confirming themselves as Barcelona’s ‘black beast’. With the Catalans already out of the running for the top two spots, Mané and his team-mates stormed to a 3-0 win at the Camp Nou and mathematical first place in the group. To regain it – at least momentarily – in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich will have to beat Mainz in order to overtake the leading Union Berlin, engaged on Sunday against Borussia Monchengladbach. Bo Svensson’s red-and-whites, however, are healthy. They come from two clear victories against Werder Bremen (0-2) and Cologne (5-0), thanks to which they have started to breathe European air again.
Bo Svensson
The Prediction
Mainz have been a tough team for a few years now, tactically very organised and coached by a very good coach like Svensson. But Bayern has returned to give important signals and above all has found again continuity: the victory of the Bavarians should not be in discussion. By the way, Mainz does not have a favourable tradition at the Allianz Arena: they have never returned with points in their last five away matches from the Bavarian capital. It is likely that the total goals will be at least three.
Bayern Munich-Mainz line-up probables
- BAYERN MUNICH (4-2-3-1): Ulreich; Pavard, Upamecano, de Ligt, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Gnabry, Müller, Mané; Choupo-Moting.
- MAINZ (3-4-1-2): Zentner; Fernandes, Hack, Caci; Widmer, Kohr, Stach, Aaron; Lee; Ingvartsen, Onisiwo.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
