Bundesliga Mainz vs Bochum
Form is certainly not on Mainz’s side as playing in Bundesliga, having not won since thrashing Cologne 5-0 at home in October. In fact, that remains their only victory at the Mewa Arena all season, while they have managed just two points from the last six Bundesliga games regardless of location.
Bo Svensson and his team came within minutes of a result here against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday until conceding in added time to go down 2-1. Andreas Hanche-Olsen played 90 minutes on his debut for the club and may fancy his chances of another start. It will be touch-and-go again for first-choice goalkeeper Robin Zentner after a back issue kept him out of the first two games of 2023.
Finn Dahmen will continue to deputise otherwise, while Karim Onisiwo and Marcus Ingvartsen will lead the line in the continued absence of Jonathan Burkardt. Dominik Kohr is available again following suspension.
Mainz Weak performance in league
Asano made his first Bundesliga start since September during the week as Bochum went down 2-0 at Bayer Leverkusen. It ended a three-game winning run for VfL that saw them clamber out of the bottom two.
The danger isn’t over yet, though, as they sit precariously placed in the play-off spot, only behind VfB Stuttgart on goal difference but just four points short of Mainz in 12th. Ex-05er Pierre Kunde could be handed his first start for Bochum after his January arrival, while it’s set to be Vasileios Lampropoulous or Erhan Masovic alongside the quickly settled Keven Schlotterbeck at centre-back if Ivan Ordets doesn’t recover from illness in time for a team that has just one positive result on their travels all season.
Having finished eighth in the Bundesliga last season – which represented their highest finish for six years – Mainz appeared to be kicking on even further this time around after winning three of their opening five matches of the campaign.
However, Bo Svensson is arguably in his stickiest situation since being appointed as manager two years ago, with his side collecting just two points from their last six matches.
Despite taking the lead against Borussia Dortmund through Lee Jae-sung’s second-minute strike on Wednesday evening, BVB ultimately prevailed through Julian Ryerson’s almost instantaneous equaliser and Giovanni Reyna’s injury-time effort.
With his side unlikely to progress beyond the challenge of Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal in midweek, Svensson’s main focus will almost certainly be on moving his side away from relegation danger across the coming weeks, which is exactly what he achieved in miraculous fashion in his first half-season in charge of the club.
As such, avoiding defeat at the very least against Bochum on Saturday feels imperative if their season is to get back on track, with their forthcoming opponents only four points behind them in the relegation playoff position ahead of the clash.
Mainz vs Bochum overall h2h along Bundesliga
Onisiwo has had a club-high 36 shots (four goals), but Ingvartsen leads the Mainz scoring chart with five from only 21 efforts.
Mainz are winless in six Bundesliga game for the first time under Svensson. They sit bottom of the form table in that period with only two points and a goal difference of -9.
The 05ers have won seven out of nine top-flight encounters with Bochum and haven’t lost at home in the Bundesliga (W3, D1).
Philipp Hofmann leads the division for aerial duels won (112) and has been directly involved in seven of Bochum’s 17 goals (six scored, one assist).
Kevin Stöger ranks fourth in the division for passes to a shot with 38. The midfielder made 42 Bundesliga appearances for Mainz (four goals, one assist).
Bochum have given away 11 penalties so far this campaign, which is the most ever by a team after 17 matchdays. The season record since 2000/01 is also 11 (by Eintracht Frankfurt in 2008/09).
