Mainz vs Werder Bremen Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 German Bundesliga
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The two draw specialists of the Bundesliga so far this season lock horns with both Mainz and Werder Bremen hunting for their first win of the campaign to parachute them right up the table.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Sunday September 15th 2024: UK – 4:30pm / US ET – 11:30am / US PT – 8:30am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – Sky Sports / US – Some matches will be televised on ESPN channels so it is worth checking their schedules
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – Sky Go / US – ESPN+
MAINZ PREVIEW: RESILIENCE SEES MAINZ REWARDED WITH STUTTGART POINT
For Mainz to not only come back from two goals down against Stuttgart, but also to make it 3-3 at the death following a third Stuttgart goal late on, really magnifies the fact that there are no easy games in the Bundesliga. To have shown such resolve on the road will have greatly pleased head coach Bo Henriksen.
However, if Mainz are to be successful here and gain a first win of the league season, then sooner than later they need to find a formula that sees their defence proving significantly tighter to break down than it has been recently.
WERDER BREMEN PREVIEW: WERDER HARD TO BEAT AFTER HOLDING BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Werder Bremen followed up their 2-2 draw away at Augsburg, with an admirable effort all over the pitch, ending with them shutting out Borussia Dortmund in a goalless draw, and gaining a well-deserved point for their efforts. That takes them onto two points now for the season, leaving Werder 13th-place in the Bundesliga title ahead of the weekend’s action.
Never easy away from home, Werder will no doubt require the same resolve and never-say-die attitude against Mainz that sees them always in the game even if they find themselves behind at any point.
MAINZ TEAM NEWS: WIDMER COULD BE FIT, BUT HANCHE-OLSEN OUT
Mainz would have hoped for Hanche-Olsen to have recovered from a head injury, but the defender has failed to prove his fitness ahead of this match and will be ruled out. But in better news, midfielder Silvan Widmer is fit to be named among the matchday squad.
PREDICTED XI: (3-4-3): Zentner; Kohr, Jenz, Leitsch; Caci, Sano, Amiri, Mwene; Hong, Burkardt, Lee
UNAVAILABLE: Hanche-Olsen (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: Widmer (Fitness)
WERDER BREMEN TEAM NEWS: BURKE AND VELJKOVIC MISSING
Winger Oliver Burke who is now at Werder on a permanent deal, is expected to miss this game as he recovers from a muscle injury. He will be joined by Milos Veljkovic, whose foot problem keeps him from facing Mainz.
PREDICTED XI: (3-5-2): Zetterer; Stark, Friedl, Jung; Weiser, Lynen, Stage, Schmid, Agu; Njinmah, Ducksch
UNAVAILABLE: Burke (Injured), Veljkovic (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
MAINZ VS WERDER BREMEN PREDICTION
Having had two weeks on the training pitch to iron things out defensively, a significant improvement is likely within the Mainz backline, which would make them very hard for Werder Bremen to score against. Werder on the other hand, showed against Borussia Dortmund that they can defend when needed and don’t need to be too ambitious here on the road. A draw would be a good result for Werder, but arguably more likely is under 2.5 goals to be scored as the two teams try to keep things tight at the back.
MAINZ VS WERDER BREMEN TIP: UNDER 2.5 GOALS
