Bundesliga Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs Mainz 05
After a humiliating defeat to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, Borussia Dortmund will be aiming to bounce back against Mainz in this week’s Bundesliga clash. With just six games left Lucien Favre knows there can be no room for error.
Match information
Location: Westfalenstadion, Dortmund
Date: 13/4/2019
Time: 6:30pm CEST|5:30pm BST|12:30pm ET
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Borussia Dortmund
LWWWL
Its been a bumpy Ruckrunde for the Black and Yellows. Having failed to find consistency along with injury struggles, the once 9 point lead over Bayern Munich has disappeared. The 5-0 thumping last weekend was a reminder that no matter how big the gap is with Bayern you should never take your foot off the gas. Although Dortmund still trail by a point there is absolutely no margin for error from here on out. Bayern still have difficult fixtures as they are yet to play RB Leipzig and an inform Frankfurt but Lucien Favre will know that he cannot just wait for Bayern to make errors.
Mainz 05
LLLLW
12th placed Mainz were the last team to beat Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion. It was on matchday 33 of last season and it helped them secure a spot in the Bundesliga for the current campaign. But Mainz will know that this is not the same Dortmund side they played last year and Dortmund also know that Mainz have the capability of causing an upset. Despite not being in the best of form, Die Nullfünfer are going into the game following a 5-0 victory over Freiburg and will feel pretty confident that they can come away with at least a point in the upcoming fixture.
Team News
Borussia Dortmund’s injury crisis has shown signs of improvement as star names such as Paco Alcacer, Raphael Guerreiro, and Christian Pulisic have all returned to training. While it is doubtful that any of them will start due to the risk factor and lack of match fitness, Dortmund are capable enough to play without them.
But it’s not all good news for Der BVB. Lukasz Piszczek’s foot injury seems to have gotten worse with rumors claiming that he could be out for the rest of the season. What makes matters worse is that Achraf Hakimi is already out for the season due to a metatarsal problem, leaving Dortmund to use another makeshift defence.
Mainz will be without quite a number of players. Abbas, Adler, Bungert, Holtmann, and Mwene are all set to miss the clash.
Opposition star man: Jean-Philippe Mateta
The young Frenchman has been on fire for Mainz this season. With 10 goals this season and an assist Mateta is a force up front. He said that he plays like Zlatan Ibrahimovic just a couple of months ago. And one could see why. 6’3 and an eye for goal Mateta will certainly cause a few problems for Favre and co.
Last match: Mainz 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
It was certainly a close encounter the last time these two sides met at the Opel Arena back in December. After a thrilling 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich, the Black and Yellows were far from their best against Mainz. Despite dominating possession, the lack of chances created almost came back to haunt them. Super sub-Paco Alcacer broke the deadlock in the 66th minute to give Dortmund the lead. The celebrations were cut short after an unlucky deflection off Axel Witsel saw Robin Quaison go through on goal to equalise for Mainz. It took a moment of magic from veteran Lukasz Piszczek after his initial shot was blocked, but his second strike found its way into the back of the net in the 76th minute of the game to give Dortmund the win.
dark. Next. Expected Starting XI: Borussia Dortmund vs Mainz 05