Bundesliga: Mainz Hope to Turn Their Fortunes Around Amid Early Relegation Battle

FSV Mainz 05 vs Bayer Leverkusen

Bo Svensson and Xabi Alonso couldn’t be any more different, despite being in the same age group.

Svensson, 44, has a lot of managerial experience here in the Bundesliga, but he is in hot water given his current situation at Mainz, while Alonso, 41, has turned heads in his first few months in charge at Bayer Leverkusen.

Both coaches are set for a collision course this Saturday as Mainz host Bayer Leverkusen in a 2^nd vs. 18^th matchup at MEWA Arena on the sixth matchday of the 2023-24 campaign.

Bayer Leverkusen have yet to lose a game so far this season, while Mainz are aiming to finally get into the win column after six tries.

The pre-game SBOTOP betting odds are stacked against Mainz, but this also means that the hosts have nowhere to go but up from here.

Talking Points

Svensson under enormous pressure to deliver

After a ninth-place finish last season, pressure is mounting on Bo Svensson as his side fell to the bottom of the Bundesliga table following their 2-1 defeat against Augsburg on Saturday.

The 05ers were actually poised to win when Ludovic Ajorque scored his first goal of the season after six minutes, but they couldn’t hold on to their one-goal lead as Ermedin Demirovic recorded a brace for Augsburg.

And even if Augsburg were reduced to 10 men after Arne Engels was sent off after the hour mark, Mainz couldn’t capitalise on their numerical advantage.

After the game, Svensson was critical of their defence, which has already surrendered 14 goals this season. Overall, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 13 Bundesliga games.

In the final third, Mainz aren’t so lucky either. Bo Svensson’s boys are in the bottom two in terms of clear-cut chances (7), and they have only found the back of the net for a league-worst four times.

Much of their problems on the offencive end can be attributed to the summer departure of Marcus Ingvartsen and the loss of Jonathan Burkardt to injury.

But despite their predicament, Mainz’ top brass is confident that Svensson is still the right man for the job.

Sporting director Martin Schmidt believes that the Danish head coach can lead the team out of their slump, but their confidence in Svensson has to be repaid with a good stretch of Bundesliga 2023 results.

Leverkusen should hold onto Alonso

Xabi Alonso’s meteoric rise in the coaching circles has made him the prime candidate to replace Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid’s head coach next season. Whether this is going to happen or not, the most logical thing for Bayer Leverkusen is to not let him go under any circumstances.

Under the former Real Madrid midfielder, Die Werkself have scored 17 goals over the first five games of a Bundesliga campaign for the first-time ever. They have also created the most clear-cut chances thus far (27).

Victor Boniface and Florian Wirtz have been the star men at Bayer, as they combine for nine goals and six assists so far. Overall, the team’s sheer quality is what makes them a viable contender for the Bundesliga trophy this year.

History

Bayer Leverkusen have won nine of their last 17 Bundesliga away games against Mainz (D1, L7). Since the 05ers promotion to the German top-flight in 2004, Die Werkself have only won more Bundesliga away games at Borussia-Park, home of Borussia Monchengladbach (W10).

Mainz are winless in the first five matches of a Bundesliga campaign for the third time ever (D1, L4) after it happened previously in 2005-06 and 2020-21 (both L5). Their longest winless run in the Bundesliga was back in 2006 (16 games).

13 points in the first five games is Bayer Leverkusen’s joint-best start to a Bundesliga campaign, which they also achieved in 1986-87 and 2009-10. Should they win again this weekend, Bayer Leverkusen will have at least 16 points after the first six matches for the first time ever.

Mainz actually defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 in their last meeting in February, in what was one of Xabi Alonso’s rare losses as Die Werkself boss.

Betting Tip

The Bundesliga 2023 odds have Bayer Leverkusen as the favourites to win yet again. Die Werkself are at 1.58 odds to get maximum points, while a Mainz win is priced at 4.50 and a draw is at 4.10 in the 1X2 market.

Unless something unforeseen happens, a positive result for Mainz is unrealistic because they’ve been putrid on both sides of the pitch.

 

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