Soccer Germany Bundesliga Prediction

Mainz vs Stuttgart - Match Preview

⚽ 21 May 2023 - 13:30 GMT +0

Just four points separate the sides between sixth and ninth ahead of the penultimate round, with Mainz bringing up the rear of sides who can still qualify for a European spot, however unlikely that may be. Any top-six hopes could ultimately be snuffed out before kick-off depending on Wolfsburg’s earlier result, but Mainz only has themselves to blame after conceding nine times in three straight defeats.

That woeful run of results came as a surprise after Mainz temporarily flipped the script in the title race with a 3-1 win over Bayern just before, highlighting a Jekyll and Hyde-like quality in Bo Svensson’s side. Even so, a home return could stimulate a resurgence from the 05ers after going unbeaten in six games here (W4, D2), that was until the visit of relegation-threatened Schalke earlier this month (L 2-3).

Another relegation candidate in the form of Stuttgart arrives with the aim of inflicting more misery upon Mainz, and they’ll be well aware of the contrasting fortunes they may face at the end of this round depending on the result. If Bochum and Schalke were to win the day before, Stuttgart would also need to win to keep their hopes alive on the final day, otherwise, defeat would send them down automatically. At this stage, however, they’d probably take a shot at the relegation playoff, something which they avoided by the skin of their teeth last season with a last-round victory elevating them to 15th at the expense of Hertha.

Stuttgart delivered an admirable performance in a 1-1 draw with Leverkusen in the previous round, yet they need to aim for more on their travels after going down 2-1 to rock-bottom Hertha in their latest road trip. A statistic which may offer scant hope to the Swabian faithful is that they had an identical 29-point haul at this stage of last season, before eventually surviving in dramatic style on the final day.

📋 Players to watch: With Mainz’s key centre-back Andreas Hanche-Olsen suspended, it potentially places the onus on the likes of Marcus Ingvartsen (G9) to hit double figures for the campaign after scoring a penalty in the reverse. One man who has already achieved that feat by scoring in three straight Bundesliga games for the first time is Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy, an overall tally which includes scoring first in the reverse!

⚡ Hot streak: Stuttgart hasn’t lost a league H2H against Mainz since their promotion back in 2020 (W3, D2).