Bayer Leverkusen vs Mainz 05 27/06/20

27 June 2020

Bayer Leverkusen welcome Mainz 05 to the BayArena for a ‘must-win’ Bundesliga affair.

A 2-0 away loss to Hertha BSC last time out means Leverkusen enter the final matchday of the season trailing fourth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach by two points and harbor a slim chance of securing the Champions League qualification for the next season. ‘Die Werkself’ have endured mixed fortunes since the league’s restart back in May (W4, D1, L3), with six of those seven results (win/loss) producing a margin of at least two goals. In turn, none of Leverkusen’s last nine Bundesliga home fixtures has ended in a draw (W6, L3), with seven of those matches featuring over 1.5 goals second-half goals and over 2.5 in total. That’s a sharp contrast to their recent top-flight H2Hs here, though, as none of Leverkusen’s past six Bundesliga clashes against Mainz at this venue saw both teams score, with each featuring under 2.5 goals (W3, D1, L2).

As for the visitors, they’ve stepped up recently, going from five consecutive league matches without a win (D3, L2) to three victories from their last four Bundesliga fixtures (L1). Curiously, five of their six results during that nine-game sequence saw the winner on the day keep a clean sheet and score at least once before the break. Away from home in the Bundesliga, the ‘Karnevalsverein’ boast a four-game unbeaten run (W2, D2), having scored precisely twice per match on three of those occasions. However, Mainz’s hopes of extending that streak here will depend on whether or not they can prevent Leverkusen from finding the opening goal. Indeed, Achim Beierlorzer’s side lost five of six league away matches in which they’ve conceded the opener (D1).