After a week off due to the international break, Bayern are back in Bundesliga action this Saturday as they make the trip to Mainz (kick-off at 18:30 CEST, live coverage on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern with our text commentary and free web radio). Here’s all you need to know about the game in our preview.
Check out the photos from final training on Friday:
State of play
Listening to coach Thomas Tuchel at his press conference on Friday, it was clear that he felt the break had come at an unfortunate time. “We were in good form recently, had one of our best games against Freiburg. Then came the international break,” the 50-year-old said. That 3-0 win over Freiburg was Bayern’s most recent fixture in a now 10-game unbeaten run across all competitions, which the Bundesliga champions now want to build on.
“We obviously want to pick up where we left off,” stated Tuchel, while also warning of the job at hand now. “I’m very aware of what’s coming our way. It won’t just be about playing in Mainz,” the coach added. “We have to be physical and stick it out through spells where it feels tough, where the opposition’s emotions will come into play. We’re expecting lots of long balls, lots of battling for second balls. We have to work through that before our quality hopefully prevails.”
Recap what Tuchel had to say at his press conference:
Opponent: Mainz
There’s a sense of irony that a 3-1 win over then leaders Bayern in April represented a turning point for Mainz, but not in a positive sense. “We were nine games unbeaten before then, but we haven’t won since, which makes this a very different situation,” said Mainz boss Bo Svensson of his team’s current plight. The 05ers are still without a win this season after their 2-2 draw away at Borussia Mönchengladbach prior to the international break, where a late equaliser denied them all three points and extended their winless run in the league to 12 matches.
Mainz are second from bottom in the table with only two points after seven games, which is their second-worst start to a Bundesliga campaign. They had just one point in 2020/21. Svensson therefore sees this encounter with the record champions as a “test of character” for his team: “It’s a privilege for us to play against the best teams in Germany and test ourselves.”
Read up on the facts ahead of the game:
Personnel
Although Tuchel was pleased to report on Manuel Neuer’s progress after his broken leg, he also confirmed that Sven Ulreich will continue in goal against Mainz to give the captain the time he needs to prepare for his comeback. Noussair Mazraoui, Serge Gnabry, Dayot Upamecano and Raphael Guerreiro are all sidelined as well. Joshua Kimmich remains a doubt after flu, as does Leon Goretzka after he took a knock in Germany’s friendly against Mexico.
According to Svensson, Mainz are still without Jonathan Burkardt, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Phillipp Mwene and Nelson Weiper. There are doubts over the fitness of Robin Zentner, Brajan Gruda and Karim Onisiwo.
What the coaches say
Mainz love the role of the underdog. They’ve cultivated it. It's a special strength, especially at times when things aren’t going well, where they surpass themselves and an atmosphere develops within the city and the club. It’s a task we need to face up to.
Thomas Tuchel
You can play your best game against Bayern but still lose. It’s not in your own hands. A lot has to come together on the day to get anything. We can only manage it together. That’s our plan.
Bo Svensson (Mainz head coach)
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