This game in the Bundesliga could have an implication for either end of the table based on the result. The hosts RB Leipzig, are chasing down Champions League football and will need to be consistent this weekend against a Mainz side eager to claw back some points to avoid a relegation play-off.
Date: 31/3/24
Kick-off Time: 16:30 pm
Location: Red Bull Arena (Leipzig)
RB Leipzig are hoping to secure another progression into the UEFA Champions League once again and will find solace that they are only a point away from Borussia Dortmund. A win over Mainz at the weekend will almost certainly move Leipzig into the top four because of Borussia Dortmund will be facing Bayern Munich at the Allianz.
The home side were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League this season by 14-time champions Real Madrid. On paper the fixture list does favour RB Leipzig over Borussia Dortmund, with Dortmund travelling to face Leipzig at the end of April.
RB Leipzig are currently in fifth place after 26 games and have accumulated 49 points from a possible 78 available. Leipzig are averaging 1.88 points per game and have a seven-goal advantage over Borussia Dortmund but ultimately one point behind their rivals.
Leipzig are amongst the top scorers in the league at this stage of the season, having scored 60 goals at this stage. On average they score 2.3 goals a game whilst defensively they concede an average of 1.2 goals per game. Essentially this means that for every two goals they do score, they do tend to concede at least one.
In previous meetings between the two sides, it’s surprisingly Mainz who have the better record. The away side have won three from their last five against Leipzig and will be hoping that history favours them on the weekend.
The only meeting between the two sides this season took place in November, which Mainz duly won. Goals from Jae -sung Lee and Leandro Barriero gave Mainz all three points. It is worth noting that Mainz have kept consecutive clean sheets against RB Leipzig – including a 3-0 win at Leipzig in last season’s campaign.
As for the away side, Mainz, they haven’t particular enjoyed a great season on the pitch and his is reflected by the current standings which have them 16th after 26 games. Mainz are six points adrift of 15th placed VFL Bochum and will at this stage face a relegation play-off against a team fighting for promotion in Bundesliga 2.
The visitors will also need to be wary of the fact, they could fall further down the table if results don’t favour them this weekend. FC Koln are only a point behind the visitors to RB Leipzig and if they were to beat Augsburg and Mainz fail to win, they will fall into the bottom two alongside Darmstadt.
Statistically speaking Mainz have the second worst attack in the league at this current stage. Having only scored 22 in 26 games, their goal output averages at 0.8 goals per game and this is worse than Darmstadt’s record who have averaged exactly one goal per game.
Defensively Mainz have ultimately been poor, having conceded 46 goals in 26 games. This means on average they concede 1.7 goals per game – meaning roughly they concede double the number of goals they produce in the attacking areas on average.
