Mainz hosts Red Bull Leipzig this Sunday, in the match, which might decide a lot of things. Both teams are in the critical position, with the hosts hanging above the red zone, while on the other side, Bulls are close to dropping out not just the title race, but the Champions League area as well. It is a must-win situation for both teams, without the slightest room for calculation.
Preview
Mainz (+550) played 2-2 on the road in Koln last week. They would come back following a 0-2 deficit and pressure the hosts in the final half an hour netting in the 61st and 72nd minutes.
It was the third straight game when counting the pre-Corona period in which they haven’t lost. They don’t have some particular style of play , and are mostly adjusting to the opponent. What is notable is that they have the third-worst attack at home with just 15 goals in 13 appearances.
Now that is something that worries all their fans. In general, the games Mainz plays are efficient, and just six in the previous 26 saw fewer than three scores. Exactly 13 finished with four or more hits.
Red Bull (-160) is losing pace with the top teams, and even though they held the No.1 spot for most of the race, the Bulls are now seven points away from Bayern Munich. The most recent setback was against Freiburg seven days ago, 1-1 at home. At one point, it really looked that Bundesliga might get a new champion, but RB just fell apart afterward.
They weren’t losing too many matches, but draws were something which hurt them a lot. You see, in the last then games, Leipzig posted 4 wins, one loss and five draws, which is unacceptable at this time of the season. Of course, Bayern and other top teams used that jump over the team from Leipzig, who needs to win today.
The positive side is the fantastic defense on the road, as they kept their net intact in the previous four road trips, when looking at all the competitions.
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Stefan Bell is questionable for Mainz, while Robin Zentner isn’t available.
Red Bull has a problem, because Emil Forsberg’s mouth injury might force him to skip this match. Ethan Ampadu is also doubtful.
Head to Head Games
Bulls humiliated Mainz in the first match this season, beating them 8-0. It was one of the most devastating losses in Mainz’s history, and no doubt, it left a mark. The last game at Opel Arena finished 3-3. All seven contests they played saw over 2.5 with just one not ending with goals on both sides or over 3.5 scores.
Prediction
We expect Mainz to go out and to be as aggressive as they can be. The defeat in Leipzig is still in their head, and they would like to use RB’s poor form to avenge that and eliminate them from the title race. Plus, make their lives even more complicated when talking about the Champions League.
On the other side, besides getting even with Red Bull, the home team would get three very valuable points, which would move them away from the relegation zone. That is why we propose a bold ans risky move, and that is double chance on the hosts with the moneyline at +180
Pick: Home or Draw +180
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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Email: nikola@wagerbop.com
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