Bundesliga: The Rhine Could Be Rough for Bayern

FSV Mainz 05 vs Bayern Munich

Thomas Tuchel takes his FC Bayern to Mainz for the Bundesliga match of the weekend, but his trip to the Rhine could turn out to be a choppy one.

The former Chelsea boss has only been in the job a few weeks and he is already facing some tough questions, despite his side sitting at the top of the table with a two-goal cushion over Borussia Dortmund. Last week, when the Bavarians dropped two points at home to Hoffenheim, Dortmund fluffed their chance to draw level, surrendering a 2-0 lead to ten-man Stuttgart.

Following that drama the latest Bundesliga 2023 betting odds still have ultimate faith in FC Bayern winning an 11^th consecutive title, but BVB can’t be ruled out at SBOTOP a price of 4.50.

Die Nulfunfer finished eighth last term and have been mainstays in the top flight since 2009, and they sit eighth again with six games of the campaign to complete. After a strong run of Bundesliga 2023 results, they are just two points behind sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen and have their eyes on a Europa League place.

Managed by Bo Svensson and with a passionate crowd at the Mewa Arena, which has become a fortress in recent weeks, Mainz are on an unbeaten run of nine and five on home soil, so this is a stern test of Bayern’s title aspirations.

Talking Points

Bayern’s stutter could become serious

The sacking of former head coach Julian Nagelsmann came as something of a surprise and the Bayern board handled it badly. So they needed a solid start from new man Tuchel, but there have already been some unhelpful ups and downs. Since his arrival in Bavaria his team has bowed out of the DFB Pokal, losing SC Freiburg, and Die Bayern have only a slim chance of making it to the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday when they face Manchester City at home, with a 3-0 first leg deficit to make up.

With Sadio Mane banned for a dressing room spat with Leroy Sane, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting out injured all is not well off the field either, and reports emerging from the German media suggest the club is preparing to sell Mane and the out-of-form Serge Gnabry in the summer. In terms of attack the league leaders rely heavily on the young shoulders of Jamal Musiala while veteran striker Thomas Muller must be missing his old mate Robert Lewandowski.

Tuchel is a fine coach and a deep thinker, and he needs to find a solution to Bayern’s malaise soon, or the decline could gather some momentum at precisely the wrong time of the league campaign.

Mainz fear nobody

They have drawn four of their last six games but take a look at their two victories, a 1-0 home win over TSG Hoffenheim, the team Bayern failed to beat last weekend, and a hugely impressive 3-0 victory away to Red Bull Leipzig, and you see that Mainz simply love to take on the big guns.

With Jonathan Burkardt out injured, striker Marcus Ingvartsen has stepped up with nine goals, while Karin Onisowo has nine goals and Jae Sung Lee has seven goals and three assists. Danish striker Ingvartsen seems to have found a home in Mainz since his transfer from Union Berlin and his improved form has seen him win a cap for his country, while Korean winger Sung is an experienced campaigner who can play equally well on the flank or behind the main striker.

Mainz don’t have big names but they do have players who will stand toe-to-toe with anyone. Ingvartsen opened the scoring in the win over Leipzig and while they conceded possession at the Red Bull Arena, Die Nulfunfer won the shot counts by 19 to 12 and seven to three on target.

Try to find another team with match stats like that in Leipzig!

History

FC Bayern have won 29 of the last 39 encounters with Mainz, and the hosts may still be smarting from the last two meetings, a 6-2 thumping in the league last October and a 4-0 reversal at the Mewa Arena in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 in February.

In terms of recent form the hosts are looking stronger with two wins and four draws from the last six games, while the Bavarians have won two, drawn one and lost three (before their meeting with Manchester City on Wednesday).

Betting Tip

With Borussia Dortmund playing in the late kick off at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, Bayern can stretch their lead at the top to five points with a win, priced at 1.52 here at SBOTOP.

Mainz at 4.64 and the draw at 3.88 make this fixture far from a walkover and there is some merit in the Double Chance Mainz or Draw at 2.28. We need to see a turnaround in form from Bayern for them to win this game and I’m not sure they will have enough to beat a team which will be right up for the challenge… and has a sniff of revenge in mind.

 

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