Mainz have all but guaranteed their safety thanks to their stunning 2-0 away win at the Westfalenstadion last night. Dortmund don’t lose often at home- Mainz’s victory made them only the second club to do so at Signal Iduna Park this season after league leaders and defending champions Bayern Munich. The three points they secured means they’ve opened a five point gap between themselves and third from bottom Dusseldorf, and also makes relegation a real possibility for Werder Bremen, who could end up going down for the first time in nearly four decades.
Werder are second from bottom, and their 1-0 loss at home to Bayern, coupled with Dusseldorf’s late comeback away at Leipzig, saw F95 move one point ahead of the Green-Whites in the league standings. With Mainz having a superior goal difference (-22) compared to Werder’s -30, the latter could at best finish in the relegation-promotion playoffs, which could end up setting a rather tasty looking clash against northern rivals Hamburger SV.
Dusseldorf keep their hopes of staying up alive
Dusseldorf came back from 2-0 down with less than four minutes on the clock to pick up a point away at Leipzig in midweek, with defender Kaan Ayhan saying that the draw “felt like a win”. Their remaining two games are against Union Berlin and Augsburg, both of whom are safe and don’t really have much to play for.
Mainz against Werder the pick of the weekend’s fixtures
On paper, the Dortmund-Leipzig clash is the tastiest one this weekend, but with BVB assured of Champions League football, and Leipzig as good as there too, there’s not much at stake in this clash. Mainz v Bremen though has a lot riding on it. A point for Mainz will confirm their top flight status, while a win for them and a victory for Dusseldorf will send Bremen down.
Mainz will probably start marginal favourites, but there’s not much separating the two teams going into this clash. Achim Beierlorzer’s men have home advantage, but have already suffered 10 defeats this season- the third worst of all teams in the league. Werder bizarrely seem to be better on the road (6-4-6 record away as compared to 1-3-12 at home), and playing at the OPEL Arena might actually work in their favour. The reverse fixture back in December saw Mainz trounce Werder 5-0.
Mainz could also have a say in the CL spots
Apart from the relegation battle, Mainz could have a big say in who goes to the CL next season. Their final fixture of the season is against Bayer Leverkusen, who are currently fourth but only have a one point advantage over Borussia Monchengladbach. Should Bayer slip up, their CL spot could go to Die Fohlen, and this could affect the former’s ability to retain key players like Kai Havertz, who has been linked with several big European clubs in the gossip pages.
Gladbach have been inconsistent since the league resumed, and could well end up ruing their defeats to Bayer and Freiburg after the break. However they’re still in with a chance, but need Leverkusen to slip up, and win themselves against both Paderborn and Hertha Berlin.
Fixtures remaining
Mainz: Werder (h), Leverkusen (a)
Fortuna: Augsburg (h), Union (a)
Bremen: Mainz (a), Koln (h)
Leverkusen: Hertha (a), Mainz (h)
Monchengladbach: Paderborn (a), Hertha (h)