Dortmund vs Mainz – News and Probable Lineups

On Friday at Signal Iduna Park, two of the Bundesliga’s top-performing teams will meet as title-contenders Borussia Dortmund take on Mainz 05.

BVB could achieve their sixth consecutive win in Germany’s top tier this weekend, while Die Nullfunfer aim for their fifth victory out of six matches.

Match overview

Niko Kovac’s Dortmund appeared to be falling behind Bayern Munich again this season, but their remarkable consistency has positioned the Black and Yellow to exert pressure on their competitors with another win.

Last Saturday, BVB claimed a 2-1 victory over Wolfsburg on the road, thanks to a late goal from Serhou Guirassy, after Konstantinos Koulierakis had equalized Julian Brandt’s first-half strike.

This win places Kovac’s squad second in the standings, just six points behind Vincent Kompany’s Bayern with 13 matches remaining.

Dortmund will feel confident about closing the gap at the top to three points ahead of Bayern’s game against Werder Bremen on Saturday, which is further supported by their unbeaten run at Signal Iduna Park in the Bundesliga.

Moreover, BVB’s fans can take heart knowing their team boasts the highest number of clean sheets in the league this season with 10, although it remains uncertain how they will cope without the suspended Nico Schlotterbeck.

On the other hand, Urs Fischer has rejuvenated Mainz since taking over, and the club is performing better than their lowly league position might indicate.

Die Nullfunfer secured a 2-0 victory over Augsburg in their last outing, thanks to two penalties executed by Nadiem Amiri.

This win marked a third consecutive triumph for Fischer’s side, and they have now only lost once across all competitions since he took charge, with five victories and four draws.

Claiming all three points last weekend has lifted Die Nullfunfer away from the bottom three, placing them 14th in the league, just two points above 16th-placed Werder and only two points shy of 10th-placed FC Koln.

However, fans traveling to Dortmund on Friday may be concerned that the visitors have achieved only one win in their 10 away fixtures prior to this match—losing six and drawing three—despite their overall improvement.

Team News

Dortmund will be without centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck for Friday’s match after he received his fifth yellow card of the season against Wolfsburg. With Filippo Calixte Mane unavailable and Emre Can also expected to be out, Kovac will need to devise a new plan.

In their absence, Niklas Sule, Waldemar Anton, and Ramy Bensebaini are likely to form the back three for BVB, supported by Daniel Svensson and Julian Ryerson, with right wing-back Yan Couto uncertain due to illness.

In midfield, Marcel Sabitzer is racing against time to be fit for the fixture after recovering from a calf injury. If he cannot make the starting XI, Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmecha are expected to take the field again.

Additionally, versatile forward Karim Adeyemi is also nearing a return from an ankle injury, though his participation on Friday remains uncertain, so Julian Brandt and Maximilian Beier may feature behind striker Serhou Guirassy.

For Mainz, goalkeeper Robin Zentner is still sidelined due to a groin injury sustained in November, while centre-back Maxim Dal is working on his fitness following an ACL injury. Right wing-back Anthony Caci has a hamstring issue, and versatile player Lennard Maloney is unwell.

Given these circumstances, Fischer might opt for a defensive setup featuring Stefan Posch, Stefan Bell, and Dominik Kohr in front of goalkeeper Daniel Batz, with Danny da Costa and Silvan Widmer positioned at wing-back.

In attack, striker Benedict Hollerbach is out for the season (Achilles), while fellow forward Armindo Sieb (illness) and attacking midfielder Sota Kawasaki (muscle) are doubts, meaning Phillip Tietz and Silas may form the forward duo, supported by Nadiem Amiri.

Borussia Dortmund probable starting XI:

Kobel; Sule, Anton, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson; Brandt, Beier; Guirassy

Mainz 05 probable starting XI:

Batz; Posch, Bell, Kohr; Da Costa, Lee, Sano, Amiri, Widmer; Silas, Tietz

Dortmund are currently in superb form, and the opportunity to pressure Bayern will further motivate them on Friday.

While Mainz have seen significant improvement under Fischer, their away performance has been lacking, and they could experience just their second defeat since the new coach’s arrival.