Mainz 05 vs Borussia Dortmund 24/11/18

24 November 2018

An improving Mainz side will host Borussia Dortmund to the Opel Arena looking to build on their record of two successive Bundesliga victories.

Die Nullfünfer have secured back-to-back wins against Werder Bremen and Freiburg just before the international break, which saw them ending a frustrating 6-game league winless streak. Mainz’s lapses in concentration and enormous problems in the final third have seen them struggling to find the back of the net five times in their opening 11 Bundesliga games. Moreover, Sandro Schwarz’s men scored an average of 0.91 goals per match, which is one of the lowest conversion rates in the German top flight. But, Karnevalsverein’s main strength remains their strong defensive unit, which so far conceded just 12 goals. Additionally, they are the only team next to RB Leipzig to allow more than one goal per game twice this campaign.

On the other hand, the current Bundesliga leaders have performed an astonishing comeback against Bayern Munich at home in their last league game to secure their sixth triumph in the previous seven top-flight outings. The Black and Yellows are the only unbeaten team in Germany’s top tier, as they so far secured eight wins while being held to three draws in the process. Having scored 33 goals up to this point, BVB have the best goalscoring record in the Bundesliga, as they’ve only failed to find the back of the net on one occasion this season. However, Lucien Favre is desperate to see his backline stepping up their game, considering they have just four clean sheets in the opening 11 league fixtures, while they conceded a minimum of two goals on four occasions in the process.

Provisional line-up – Mainz 05:

Gk: Zentner Defense: Niakhate – Aaron – Bell – Brosinski – Gbamin Midfield: Latza – Kunde-Malong Attack: Quaison – Boetius – Mateta

Provisional line-up – Borussia Dortmund:

Gk: Hitz Defense: Akanji – Zagadou – Hakimi – Piszczek Midfield: Witsel – Weigl – Gotze Attack: Reus – Sancho – Bruun Larsen