Fighting for a place in the Bundesliga‘s top six, an inconsistent Mainz 05 will travel to Vonovia Ruhrstadion to take on relegation-battling VfL Bochum on Saturday.
Die Unabsteigbaren will be desperate to avoid being relegated this weekend, while Die Nullfunfer will be looking for their first win in eight matches.
Match preview
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Dieter Hecking‘s Bochum find themselves on the brink of demotion after a difficult 2025 that has featured just two league wins since the end of January, though they will draw confidence from avoiding defeat in back-to-back games ahead of this clash.
Most recently, Die Unabsteigbaren followed up their 1-1 draw with 13th-placed Union Berlin by earning a point on the road to relegation rivals Heidenheim on May 2, and the manager will be pleased that his team kept their first clean sheet in almost three months.
Although Hecking’s side remain bottom of the table, that stalemate has kept them within three points of 17th-placed Holstein Kiel and four behind last week’s opponents, who occupy the division’s relegation playoff spot.
That being said, the hosts will have to better the 16th-placed club’s result if they are to avoid being condemned this weekend, though considering that they have won just one of their last eight top-flight games at Vonovia Ruhrstadion, fans would be forgiven for feeling anxious.
Should Bochum take all three points for only the sixth time this season on Saturday, then they could go into the final matchday one point from making the relegation playoff, but defeat would seal their fate regardless of how their rivals fare.
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Meanwhile, Bo Henriksen‘s Mainz have fallen out of the top six after a disastrous seven-game winless run leading up to this weekend, and they will see a clash against the league’s bottom club as a golden opportunity to get back on track.
Last time out, Die Nullfunfer came from behind to draw 1-1 with Champions League hopefuls Eintracht Frankfurt in the Rhine-Main derby, though they will be disappointed to have dropped two points considering that they enjoyed the majority of possession and produced more efforts on goal than their neighbours.
That point has left Henriksen’s side seventh in the table with 48 points, two behind sixth-placed RB Leipzig and three behind fifth-placed Borussia Dortmund with two games to play.
However, given that the visitors have lost their last three away matches on the bounce, conceding eight while scoring just one in the process, they will have to defy their travelling record to climb into the European places this weekend.
If Mainz can find the type of performance that saw them beat both Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach back in March, then they could earn an important victory that would be enough to take them up to sixth should results elsewhere prove favourable.
Team News
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Bochum will be missing striker Phillip Hofmann on Saturday due to a rib injury he picked up against Heidenheim, and Giorgos Masouras should be partnered by Myron Boadu in his absence.
At the opposite end of the pitch, centre-back Ivan Ordets is a doubt for this game due to a thigh problem, and if he is unavailable, then Jakov Medic could take his place beside Tim Oermann and Bernardo.
As for Mainz, they are likely to be without Dominik Kohr this weekend after he was taken off with a knee injury against Frankfurt, so expect Stefan Bell to feature in the backline.
Likewise, Danny Da Costa suffered a thigh issue last time out, so Silvan Widmer could join Bell and Andreas Hanche-Olsen as part of Henriksen’s back three.
Elsewhere, Lass Reiss should start between the sticks once again as first-choice goalkeeper Robin Zentner works his way back from a muscle problem.
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Horn; Oermann, Ordets, Bernardo; Krauss; Passlack, Sissoko, Bero, Wittek; Masouras, Boadu
Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:
Riess; Widmer, Hanche-Olsen, Bell; Caci, Sano, Amiri, Mwene; Nebel, Lee; Burkardt
We say: VfL Bochum 1-1 Mainz 05
Both Bochum and Mainz have been in lacklustre form ahead of this game, though given that each team has their own ambitions at stake this weekend, expect to see a close-fought contest.
Additionally, the two clubs have been struggling for clean sheets in recent weeks, and both sides are likely to be on the scoresheet.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
