German Bundesliga - Borussia Dortmund vs. Mainz - Preview & Prediction

Still battling for survival in the Bundesliga, 15th-placed Mainz is about to pay a visit to 2nd-placed Borussia Dortmund, who have already guaranteed themselves a top-four finish this season. Kick-off - at 14:30 PM ET on Wednesday, June 17.

Dortmund Edge Out Dusseldorf

A second consecutive win with a minimal score of 1-0 was on the cards for Borussia Dortmund, who banked their third successive victory overall after edging out relegation-bound Fortuna Dusseldorf at Merkur Spiel-Arena on Saturday. Despite dominating the proceedings in ball control (63%), the Black-and-Yellows only managed to deliver six shot attempts on target throughout the whole match, with substitute Erling Haaland banking the winner in the 95th minute of the game with the last kick of the contest. BVB remain 2nd in the league (W20 D6 L5), trailing leaders Bayern Munich by seven points, sitting four points ahead of 3rd-placed RB Leipzig.

With 17 markers collected in the Bundesliga this season, English winger Jadon Sancho leads Borussia Dortmund in goals. Goalie Roman Burki, meanwhile, has posted 53 saves thus far this year, sitting 18th in the league among keepers. He has picked up 12 clean sheets in 28 league contests and concedes a goal every 74 minutes on average. BVB have scored the 2nd highest quantity of snipes during the ongoing campaign (82), while taking the 8th highest number of shots per game (13.2). The team is 3rd in ball possession (58.5%) and 2nd in passing accuracy (86.8%).

Mainz Lose To Augsburg

Mainz lost for the third time in their past five contests (W1 D1 L3) after being edged out with a count of 1-0 by Augsburg at Opel Arena on Sunday. The Zero-Fivers led in ball possession (66%) and outshot the visitors 17-9. Still, Augsburg’s first-half goal scored after just 43 seconds of play, remained the only marker of the game, leaving Mainz with just a single victory in their past seven outings (W1 D3 L3). The team sits 15th in the Bundesliga with a W9 D4 L18 record, just three points above Fortuna Dusseldorf and Werder Bremen, who find themselves on level points for the relegation play-off spot.

Swedish-Ghanaian forward Robin Quaison still tops Mainz’s scoring table with 12 markers but has managed to find the back of the net just once in his past 10 league fixtures. Goalie Florian Muller, meanwhile, has made 33 saves in the Bundesliga this year, sitting 22nd in Germany’s top tier amongst keepers. He has banked one clean sheet in 10 appearances during the current campaign and allows a goal every 37 minutes of play. Mainz have netted the 5th lowest quantity of goals so far this season (39), while delivering the 7th highest number of shots per game (13.5). The team is 3rd from the bottom in both ball possession (45.4%) and passing accuracy (75.3%).

Prediction

Currently battling to remain in the Bundesliga for another year, sitting just three points off the bottom-three, Mainz has turned out to be quite an encouraging proposition on their recent travels, going unbeaten for three straight road games (W1 D2). Don’t expect that luck to continue on their trip to Dortmund, where the Zero-Fivers have already dropped seven of their past eight visits (W1 L7). BVB have finally confirmed their top-four finish in Germany’s top-flight and have eased off somewhat in their last two contests, winning both with just a minimal score of 1-0. Await for that to change against Mainz, who have failed to score in three of their past five league games and have conceded 35 strikes in 15 away contests this season.

Best bets:

Borussia Dortmund to win to nil (+130)

Correct score: 3-0 to Borussia Dortmund (+850)

Jadon Sancho to score anytime (+100)