Bayern Munich vs. Mainz 05 preview: Can Bayern claim top spot?
Bayern Munich will look to claim a sixth consecutive victory on Saturday when they welcome Mainz 05 to the Allianz Arena.
While Bayern are looking to move to the top of the table, Mainz have the chance to record a fourth straight victory.
While Bayern are looking to move to the top of the table, Mainz have the chance to record a fourth straight victory.
Bayern Munich
Bayern looked to have found their groove in recent weeks, with their last eight games in all competitions resulting in seven wins and one draw. They have also won their previous five matches after beating Hoffenheim 2-0 last weekend, before cruising to a 3-0 Champions League victory over Barcelona on Wednesday.
As a result of collecting 10 points from their last four league games, Bayern head into Saturday's contest in second place with one point separating them from league leaders Union Berlin. A win for the German champions would move them above Union, who do not play until Sunday.
Bayern are still yet to lose at home this season, and in their last three home games in all competitions, they have scored at 14 goals. Julian Nagelsmann's side have also been resolute in defence at the Allianz Arena, keeping four consecutive home clean sheets.
Team News
Nagelsmann has revealed that Thomas Müller is still unavailable, while Manuel Neuer is not expected to return until next weekend at the earliest.
Mainz 05
Mainz are currently unbeaten in four games, and on Saturday, they will have the chance to claim a fourth consecutive victory in all competitions.
In their most recent encounter, Mainz cruised to a commanding 5-0 victory over 10-man FC Köln. Marcus Ingvarsten opened the scoring from the spot before Köln's Luca Kilian was given his marching orders in the 28th minute for his second bookable offence. Dominik Kohr and Anton Stach added to Mainz's tally before half time, and the comfortable win was rounded off thanks to second half strikes from Aarón Martín and Karim Onisiwo.
As a result of their win over Köln, Bo Svensson's side currently sit in sixth place - two points adrift of the top four.
Although they face a tough test, there is reason to believe Mainz can compete with Bayern on Saturday. They have scored at least two goals in each of their last three matches, while they have also kept three consecutive clean sheets.
Die Nullfünfer can also draw inspiration from the fact that they have won two of their last three Bundesliga games against Bayern, although both of those victories took place on home turf.
Team News
The visitors are expected to be without the services of Maxim Leitsch and Marlon Mustapha due to injury issues.