With Ole Werner’s Leipzig and Urs Fischer’s Mainz locked in a battle at opposite ends of the table, Saturday’s clash at the Red Bull Arena promises to be a tense affair with both sides battling for the crucial three points.
red bull leipzig
Leipzig have endured an unstable period in recent weeks. The Red Bulls started the season well, losing just two of their first 13 games, but have since been beaten three times in their last six games, and as their opponents begin to pick up the pace, their current top-four position, which relies solely on goal difference, is increasingly under threat.
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This uneven form continued in midweek, with Leipzig drawing 1-1 away at relegation-threatened St. Pauli on Tuesday night. Jan Diomande’s 66th-minute opener looked set to secure all three points, but a lack of attacking intent kept the hosts alive until Martin Carles equalized from the penalty spot in injury time. Despite the late setback, the draw was enough to move Leipzig above Stuttgart into fourth place as they push for a return to European football.
Ole Werner has called on his side to show greater ruthlessness in the final third:
“At certain stages Mainz would drop deep again, as has been the case in the past few games. So it’s always a difficult task to create chances against opponents who sit deep. Against St. Pauli we had some situations where the ball ended up being passed or in contact. In those moments we still lacked more precision and showed that precision.”
Team News:
Assan Ouedraogo, Castro Lukba and Viggo Goebel are still missing, while new signing Suleiman Sani injured his ankle in training and will be out for several weeks. Christoph Baumgartner has been suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card, but Johan Bakayoko has returned to training and a decision on his availability is expected on Friday.
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Mainz05
Life at Mainz improved markedly under Urs Fischer. The 05ers have escaped automatic relegation and moved up to 15th, having lost just one of their last six league games. One lingering obstacle to overcome in the early days of Fisher’s tenure is Mainz’s away form, with a first away win remaining elusive – a trend they will be desperate to change on Saturday.
In the last game, Mainz defeated Wolfsburg at home. Although they fell behind in the first three minutes, they finally won 3-1 and their morale was boosted. New signings Philipp Titz and Nadeem Amiri continued to impress under the new manager, both scoring, with Stefan Bell grabbing the other’s goal in a dominant performance from Mainz. The 34-year-old defender is expected to make his 300th Bundesliga appearance this weekend.
Fischer firmly targeted all three points for Leipzig:
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“Three points are needed here. That has to be our goal every game, wherever we go. If you believe in anything else, you’d better not get on a bus or a plane.”
Team News:
Robin Centner, Nicolas Villachnigg, Anthony Kac and Andreas Hansch-Olsen are still recovering but will miss the game. Sota Kawasaki was forced to cut training short on Wednesday and his performance is questionable.
H-2-H Records
Leipzig have lost just one of the last four meetings between the two sides, while Mainz are unbeaten in their last three visits to the Red Bull Arena. In the third round, Leipzig narrowly won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Johan Bakayoko.
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Predicted lineup
RB Leipzig (4-3-3): Gulacchi (GK) – Baku, Orban, Bishyab, Raum-Sewald, Benzuzi, Schlag-Nusa, Romulo, Diomande
Mainz 05 (3-5-2): Butts (GK) – Bosh, Bell, Cole-DaCosta, JS Lee, Sano, Amiri, Widmer-Hollerbach, Titz
