Leipzig eye three consecutive victories in Mainz.

2024-10-13

In a clash of aspirations and ambitions, FSV Mainz aim to secure their first home win of the season as Jonathan Burkardt leads the charge, while RB Leipzig, boasting the league's best defensive record, seek to extend their winning run despite a challenging history at the MEWA Arena.

FSV Mainz 05

Mainz will be looking to build on their 3-0 away win against Bundesliga debutants St. Pauli before the international break. So far, they have only two wins from six outings this season [DLWLW], a tally it took them until Matchday 22 to achieve last season.

Their current eight points from six games represent a significant improvement, as they had just one point at this stage in 2023/24. The clean sheet against St. Pauli was also their first of the campaign, adding a sense of optimism to their form.

However, Mainz has struggled at home, picking up just one point from a possible nine at the Mewa Arena this season. Bo Henriksen’s side will be desperate to secure their first home win, and much of their hopes will rest on Jonathan Burkardt, who scored twice in their last match to lead the attack in a 3—4—2—1 formation.

Dominik Kohr remains unavailable due to suspension after accumulating five yellow cards, while Karim Onisiwo is sidelined. Meanwhile, Nikolas Veratschnig is nearing a return from a hip injury but remains doubtful.

RB Leipzig

Leipzig, level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga table, face a difficult away test at Mainz. They aim to extend their winning run to three games in a row [WDDWW] when they face Mainz. However, history is not on their side when visiting Mainz.

Leipzig has struggled against Die Nullfünfer in recent years, failing to win any of their last two visits to the MEWA ARENA [0W, 2D, 2L]. Moreover, they have only secured one win in their last seven matches against Mainz overall [1W, 2D, 4L].

In addition, Leipzig have claimed just a single point from their last four away trips to Mainz, their last win coming in September 2020 (3-1). The only longer drought they face is at Frankfurt [eight games].

Leipzig has also found goals hard to come by against Mainz, failing to score in each of their last three Bundesliga meetings. Nevertheless, Leipzig comes into the game with the league’s best defensive record, having conceded just two goals across six matches, a club record at this stage.

They could match their club record of five consecutive Bundesliga clean sheets, which they achieved in October/November 2018. After scoring for France in the Nations League, Loïs Openda will spearhead the attack in a 4-4-2 formation alongside Benjamin Šeško.

However, Leipzig will be without David Raum and Benjamin Henrichs, who are both sidelined with injuries.