Mainz vs. Borussia Dortmund: Preview and betting tips

In the 25th round of the German Bundesliga, Mainz will play Borussia Dortmund. The home side are in tenth place in the league, while their challenger holds second position from which they are trying to close the gap on league leader Bayern Munich.

Mainz have played only 24 games in the Bundesliga so far this season and have collected 34 points. Of the last five matches, they have managed to win twice, draw once and lose twice. They are ten points behind the European qualification places, so they still have something to play for.

Borussia Dortmund are much better off. They have 53 points from 25 games played. They are seven points behind Bayern and have a game in hand. A win against Mainz could cut the table leader’s lead to just four points.

Dortmund have won three of their last five games, drawn once and lost once. It is thanks to good form and worse results from Bayern that the lead has started to gradually shrink.

The away team is currently having major problems with the injury situation. No less than 10 players from the first team will be unavailable for this match. Marco Reus, Matts Hummels, Raphael Guerreiro and Manuel Akanji, for example, are missing.

However, it can be very positive news for Borussia Dortmund that striker Erling Haaland returns to the lineup. This player has been out sick for some time, but despite that he still holds the third place among the top scorers in the league.

Borussia Dortmund remain the favourites for the match despite the big illness. Mainz hasn’t been able to beat them since 2014. The last match between the two sides was better for Dortmund, who won 3:1. Haaland scored twice.