Koln vs Mainz 05 17/05/20

17 May 2020

Koln and Mainz 05 will lock horns at the RheinEnergieStadion as the home side look to bring a three-game winless run in the Bundesliga (BL) H2Hs to a halt (D1, L2). 

Despite losing 2-1 to Borussia Monchengladbach on the road on the eve of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, the hosts have enjoyed a fairly successful 2020, winning five of eight league fixtures (L3). Interestingly, each of those eight matches has produced over 2.5 goals, with six of those results (win/loss) yielding a multiple-goal margin. Also, except for a 4-1 demolition to Bayern Munich, ‘Die Geißböcke‘ have won all three of their remaining BL home games since the calendar flipped, scoring at least three goals in each. The fact that Koln have avoided defeat in all nine of their previous competitive home H2Hs (W5, D4) suggests that their impressive home form could continue after the crisis.

On the other hand, the visitors had endured a torrid 2020, picking up just two triumphs in eight BL outings before the pandemic gripped football (W2, D2, L4), as they sit barely four points clear of 16th-placed Fortuna Dusseldorf. None of Mainz’s 12 BL road trips this season has seen a draw (W4, L8), with eight of those results (win/loss) producing a margin of at least two goals. Conceding the opening goal could prove fatal to Mainz’s hopes of improving their away record, given that they lost all five of their road games in which they’ve allowed the opener.