Confident Bayern head to Mainz for final away game of year

Bayern face one final away game in 2024 as they head to Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday (kick-off at 3.30pm CET, live coverage on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app with our text commentary and free web radio). It’s been just 45 days since the Munich men were last in Mainz, winning 4-0 in the DFB Cup second round. Here’s all you need to know about this latest encounter in our preview.

Check out the best photos from final training on Friday:

Latest news from Bayern

Despite some injury concerns of late, Bayern have come through the past week with flying colours after beating Heidenheim 4-2 at home in the Bundesliga and then winning 5-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. The goal now is to see that out with another vital victory. “We always have the thought that we want to win,” said head coach Vincent Kompany at his press conference on Friday, placing the onus on his team. “We need to perform. That’s what we’re focused on. We always have trust in the squad.”

Although things may look comfortable for Bayern at the top of the Bundesliga with a six-point cushion over Eintracht Frankfurt in second, the Bavarians don’t want to let up in this final period of the year and underline their status as leaders going into the winter break. The game in Mainz is followed by a home fixture against RB Leipzig next Friday before players and staff have the chance to recover and recharge before resuming action in the new year. “It’s important to have a certain number of days to recover, not just physically but also mentally,” Kompany stated.

Read more from Kompany at the pre-match press conference here:

Opponent: Mainz

Mainz were left empty-handed last week in Wolfsburg despite going ahead three times before succumbing to a 4-3 defeat. It ended a run of four Bundesliga games without loss and three straight wins that had helped the 05ers up to ninth in the table and to forget about their October cup elimination at the hands of Bayern. Kompany explained that Mainz have been far more solid since the last encounter: “Apart from the last game, which was a bit crazy and everything possible happened, they’ve picked up results and conceded few goals. They’re confident, but so are we.”

Those inside the Mainz camp also agree with the Belgian’s assessment. “We weren’t in our best shape at the time of the cup game. That’s now changed,” said 05ers coach Bo Henriksen. “We’re playing well and have a lot of trust in each other, so we’ve got hope we can play better on Saturday than in the cup.” However, Bayern have won their last three competitive meetings with Mainz by an aggregate score of 15-2.

Read up on the facts ahead of the game:

Team news

There’s no change to who’s available since Tuesday’s game against Shakhtar. No players are expected back, but there are also no new players out, Kompany revealed on Friday. It means Manuel Neuer (broken rib), Serge Gnabry (knee), Alphonso Davies, Kingsley Coman, Harry Kane (all hamstring), João Palhinha (muscular), Hiroki Ito (metatarsal) and Josip Stanišić (knee) will again miss the trip to Mainz.

The home side are only missing Danny da Costa (adductor) and Bayern loanee Gabriel Vidović (ankle) for Saturday’s game.

What the coaches say