Preview: Mainz 05 vs. VfL Bochum - prediction, team news, lineups

The visitors, meanwhile, fell back inside the bottom three positions after suffering a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen in midweek.

Match preview

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 play-off position ahead of the clash.

While Bochum's league position does not make for kind reading, Die Unabsteigbaren are in a far better position now than they could realistically have imagined after losing their opening six games of the campaign.

Thomas Letsch has gradually implemented his methods and style of play at the club since leaving Vitesse Arnhem in September last year, with three straight wins either side of the World Cup seeing his side move outside of the bottom three.

Indeed, their 3-1 win against relegation rivals Hertha Berlin in their first match back last weekend was a particularly crucial one, with Philipp Hofmann displaying inspired form on the day to score a brace.

However, Bochum were thoroughly outclassed by one of the form teams in the division in the shape of Leverkusen on Wednesday evening, with Letsch's side only managing one shot on target across the course of the 90 minutes.

Should his side bounce back with a positive result in Mainz on Saturday, though, Letsch will certainly not be too concerned by that defeat, especially as the trip provides them with a golden opportunity to drag another team into the relegation mix should they be able to snatch a fourth win in five league matches.

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:

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D

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VfL Bochum Bundesliga form:

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Team News

Mainz will almost certainly remain without Robin Zentner, Delano Burgzorg, Jonathan Burkardt and Marlon Mustapha through injury for their crucial clash at the weekend, which does not improve Svensson's chances of turning things around.

Stefan Bell and Alexander Hack could return to their manager's back three in order to provide more defensive solidity, with Anton Stach and Dominik Kohr likely to be fighting for a place alongside Leandro Barreiro in midfield.

Bochum, meanwhile, will travel without Paul Grave and Cristian Gamboa due to shoulder and knee issues respectively, while Ivan Ordets remains doubtful due to illness.

Pierre Kunde could replace Erhan Masovic as a more natural figure at the base of midfield, but otherwise Letsch is unlikely to make any selection changes despite tasting defeat for the first time in almost three months last time out.

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:

Dahmen; Bell, Hack, Caci; Widmer, Barreiro, Kohr, Martin; Jae-sung, Onisiwo, Ingvartsen

VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:

Riemann; Janko, Lampropoulos, Schlotterbeck, Soares; Losilla, Kunde; Asano, Stoger, Antwi-Adjei; Hofmann

We say: Mainz 05 1-1 VfL Bochum

With both teams defeated in midweek, we can envisage both managers aiming to keep things tight at the MEWA Arena on Saturday, especially given their lowly positions in the league table.

As such, it would be little surprise to see Mainz draw 1-1 for the fifth time already this season, which would represent a decent result for both teams in their current situations.

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