VFL Bochum will host Mainz 05 with both teams on the wrong side of the Bundesliga table. After FC Koln stopped their own winless streak last weekend. These teams are the only ones still in the bottom two of Germany’s top division without a victory.
Preview (VfL Bochum vs. Mainz 05)
A fifth draw in nine games would temporarily put Bochum ahead of Koln in the relegation playoff standings. Thomas Letsch will be pressing for all three points on Friday at the Vonovia-Ruhrstadion. After taking over as manager in September of last year, the 55-year-old won his first five home games. It helped Bochum move up the table and finish the season two points above the relegation zone. After suffering a 2-1 loss to Freiburg on the road last weekend, Die Unabsteigbaren have now equaled their undesirable record from the previous season, starting with a run of eight games without a win. In the fifteenth minute, Goncalo Paciencia had given the visitors the lead.
Bochum has forgotten what it feels like to win after losing on penalties to Arminia Bielefeld. It was in the DFB-Pokal first round in their first competitive game of the season. However, a victory against Mainz, who is battling, would be enough to move them up to 13th place. Mainz, on the other hand, played so well when Bo Svensson took over in January 2021. They would not have predicted to be anchored to the foot of the table with two points from eight games. They finished eighth and ninth with a very respectable total of 46 points on both occasions.
As anticipated, Bayern Munich defeated Mainz handily last weekend at MEWA Arena. Anthony Caci had pulled one back just before halftime. Leon Goretzka’s goal well before the hour mark gave the Bavarians their two-goal lead back. The early goals from Harry Kane and Kingsley Coman had given the hosts hope for a torturous day. They battled valiantly to prevent a potentially devastating hammering. Svensson and his team won’t be panicking just yet. They still have games against teams like Bochum, SV Darmstadt 98, Koln, and Heidenheim. If they can’t improve their performance, their remarkable 15-year Bundesliga tenure could be in jeopardy.
Team News
Paciencia, Bochum’s most recent goal scorer, may not be available for much longer as he was injured in his leg shortly after scoring against Freiburg.If Philipp Hofmann is ruled out as predicted, he will almost definitely be replaced in attack by the former Schalke 04 attacker. While Kevin Stoger is doubtful due to illness, Patrick Osterhage, Matus Bero, Michael Esser, and Luis Hartwig might all join Paciencia on the treatment table. Following the last 75-minute interval, Stoger will be replaced from the start by Philipp Forster, who will be ready to go.
Meanwhile, injury will prevent Jonathan Burkardt, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Nelson Weiper, and Philip Mwene from traveling with Mainz. Burkhardt, in particular, will be eager to get back to first-team practice for Svensson, but the 23-year-old’s knee ailment may prevent him from playing until after the forthcoming international break in November. After starting from the bench against Bayern, Karim Onisiwo should be healthy enough to start for the visitors. Youngster Brajan Gruda will probably start in his place, but that might be Svensson’s only change following his team’s lackluster performance against the defending champions.
Given that both teams have lost all eight of their games to this far in the season, this matchup already has all the makings of a relegation struggle. Since both managers are afraid of their team losing, there will probably be a lot of nerves and a lack of quality on display. As a result, we can anticipate a low-scoring draw.
VFL Bochum 1 – 1 Mainz 05
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