Mainz 05 vs Bayer Leverkusen

Mainz 05 and Bayer Leverkusen are set to trade tackles in an exciting final-day Bundesliga clash at the Mewa Arena.

Mainz are one step away from securing a top-six finish and, in turn, European qualification for the first time since 2016, yet they can’t afford to drop points here. A 4-1 demolition of Bochum last weekend saw them overtake RB Leipzig in sixth, but the two sides enter the season finale level on points, with the 05ers boasting a superior goal difference. Fresh off halting a dismal seven-game winless streak in the Bundesliga (D4, L3), Bo Henriksen’s men must now snap a club-record four successive home draws in the top flight to beat Leipzig to the punch. However, they must avoid another slow start after conceding the opening goal in their last three Bundesliga home outings. That hasn’t stopped them from piecing together an incredible 12-game unbeaten home league run (W6, D6), putting them on the brink of achieving an unprecedented club feat.

Bayer Leverkusen could prevent Mainz from going undefeated in 13 straight home league games for the first time, but it wouldn’t change anything for them. However, victory would be a fitting way for departing manager Xabi Alonso to bid farewell to the BayArena faithful after his final home game in charge produced a disappointing 4-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund. Avoiding another loss would see Die Werkself complete consecutive Bundesliga seasons without losing a road fixture. Furthermore, it would set a new Bundesliga record for the most successive unbeaten away matches, breaking the tie with Bayern Munich at 33 (W23, D10).