One more win and then the celebrations can start! FC Bayern could wrap up their 31st championship with three points at Mainz on Saturday (live text and webradio commentary from 15:30 CEST on fcbayern.com). Check out our preview for everything you need to know about the potential title clincher on Matchday 31.
Enjoy the best images from Bayern's final training session on Friday in our gallery
The situation for FC Bayern
The last matchday went perfectly from Bayern's point of view. With a 2-0 win over Leverkusen, the men from Munich were able to take advantage of Leipzig's slip-up (a 2-1 loss at Köln) and now have a 10-point lead over the Bulls. With three matchdays to go, three points in Mainz would be tantamount to wrapping up the title defence ahead of schedule. So the objective for the away game is clear. "It's important that we clinch the championship. We want to do that as quickly as possible," Hansi Flick stressed in his press conference on Friday.
Check out here how Bayern can become champions at the weekend even without a win in Mainz:
The opponents: 1. FSV Mainz 05
Mainz also took an important step towards securing safety during the week. Thanks to the 1-0 win at Werder Bremen, the team from the Rhine climbed to 13th place and are now have a five-point cushion to the direct relegation places. However, the relegation play-off spot is still threateningly close. But the last few weeks have shown the Zero-fivers' quality. "Mainz are in good form. They remain unbeaten in six games," Flick emphasised. The Bavarians already had to prove their mettle in the reverse fixture and turn the game around after trailing 2-0 at the break. Head coach Bo Svensson wants his team to put up another tough fight. "I was there as a player in a few games that we won against Bayern. Of course they're good opponents, but it's football, so anything's possible there too. It's about turning up with a good plan and real desire. We have to throw everything at them," explained the Mainz coach.
In the reverse fixture, Joshua Kimmich celebrated his return to the starting XI after one and a half months out injured and scored Bayern's important first goal to make it 2-1. In the end, FCB ran out 5-2 winners.
Team news for Mainz vs. Bayern
"The squad is filling up, that's good," said Flick, looking forward to his team selection and confirming that Robert Lewandowski will be back in the Bayern line-up at the weekend. The men from Munich had to do without their top striker for around a month. The decision on whether Marc Roca and Serge Gnabry will also be available again was to be made after the final training session on Friday. Niklas Süle (muscular problems), Corentin Tolisso (rehabilitative training after a ruptured tendon) and Douglas Costa (rehabilitative training after a hairline fracture in his metatarsal) are still out.
In Mainz, the joy over Lewandowski's return was somewhat more restrained:
Svensson can continue to rely on the squad he took to Bremen during the week. Danny da Costa, who was absent from the game at the Weserstadion due to personal reasons, will also rejoin the squad.
Team news, tactics and more: You can watch Hansi Flick's pre-match press conference before the potential title clincher at Mainz (with English translation) here:
What the coaches say
Hansi Flick: "They're a compact team who play very aggressively out of possession, and when they win the ball, they're very good at transitioning. Mainz have been very successful in recent weeks. It's our big goal to clinch the title. We want to wrap up the championship on Saturday."
Bo Svensson: "We're not going into the game to prevent Bayern winning the league. We're fully focused on our own game. But of course we still want to take our chances! FC Bayern are top opponents - they've won six titles in twelve months and have one of the best players in the world in every position. We have to try to put everything into our game. Of course, you can't guarantee a result against these opponents, but the performance still has to be right!"
If you want to know more about the game against Mainz, check out our facts and stats:
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