Bayer Leverkusen vs Mainz Lines & Betting Preview
Mainz Coming off Just Second Win of the Season
Record-Breaking Day for Leverkusen?
Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen have an excellent opportunity to make history on Friday when they host Mainz in the Bundesliga. With a draw or win, Leverkusen will break Bayern Munich’s German unbeaten record of 32 games. Leverkusen are incredibly still without a loss this season, in all competitions, and they’re racing toward their first-ever Bundesliga title. Mainz are in second-to-last place but they did pick up their second win of the season last weekend. As we gear up for an important Bundesliga matchup, we’ll check out the Bayer Leverkusen vs Mainz lines.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Mainz 05
Location: BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany
Day/Time:
Leverkusen vs Mainz H2H:
Over the last four meetings, both sides have two wins. In the reverse fixture this season, at Mainz, Bayer Leverkusen picked up a comfortable 3-0 win. An own goal undid Mainz, while Alex Grimaldo and Jonas Hofmann also got on the scoresheet for Leverkusen. The Leverkusen vs Mainz lines listed Bayer as -180 favorites. Mainz did manage a 3-2 victory at the BayArena last season but Bayer’s midfield and forward lines have almost changed completely since then. Mainz have won just two of the last 12 meetings between the sides.
Bayer Leverkusen Taking Control of Bundesliga
Bayer Leverkusen matched Bayern Munich’s record 32-game German unbeaten streak with last weekend’s 2-1 win at Heidenheim. Jeremie Frimpong opened up the scoring just before halftime. Ten minutes from full time, Florian Wirtz played in a perfectly-weighted through ball for Amine Adli, who doubled Leverkusen’s lead. Heidenheim got a consolation goal but Leverkusen managed their ninth win in their last ten matches overall.
Even without star striker Victor Boniface, Bayer is flying and they’re favorites to win both the DFB Pokal and Bundesliga. Leverkusen are now overwhelming -600 favorites to win their first title, according to the Bundesliga odds. They also show -150 odds to take home the DFB-Pokal title. Leverkusen’s rise this season has been nothing short of remarkable and Xabi Alonso is now the most in-demand manager in the world. So, it’s now or never for Leverkusen as they chase records and titles. Wirtz has been excellent for Bayer this season and he has the potential to be one of the best attacking midfielders in the world.
The German international has scored five goals and provided nine assists in the Bundesliga this season. Alex Grimaldo has also been one of the Bundesliga’s best players since joining from Benfica last Summer. The Spanish left wing back has scored eight times and provided nine assists in the Bundesliga. Grimaldo’s fellow wingback, Frimpong, has been another huge attacking threat. While Boniface remains out, midfielder Exequiel Palacios should also miss Friday’s match.
Henriksen Wins First Match in Charge of Mainz
It’s been a rough season for Mainz, who are in 17th place in the Bundesliga, out of 18 teams. Mainz recently made a coaching change, for the second time this season, and replaced Jan Siewert with Bo Henriksen. In Henriksen’s first match, Mainz managed to pick up their second win of the season. Sepp van den Berg scored the game’s only goal as Mainz defeated Augsburg 1-0. Now, Mainz is just one point behind Koln for the relegation playoff spot.
Still, Mainz are looking for their first road victory of the season, as they’re 0-6-5 away from home in Bundesliga fixtures. Mainz have scored just 17 goals in 22 matches this season and offense has been their biggest issue. No Mainz player has scored more than two goals in the Bundesliga this season and Karim Onisiwo leads the team with just three assists. Since joining from Leverkusen in January, Nadiem Amiri has provided two assists, though.
Amiri had an opportunity to score on a penalty vs. Augsburg last weekend and he unluckily hit the post. Mainz also brought in forward Jessic Ngankam on loan in January but he’s yet to find the net. The injury bug hasn’t been kind to Mainz this season either. All of Edimilson Fernandes, Maxim Leitsch, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, and Stefan Bell are out. Meanwhile Tom Krauss and Jonathan Burkardt are questionable with illnesses.
Leverkusen vs Mainz Odds
Given the significance of this match, Bayer Leverkusen are, rather unsurprisingly, -460 favorites. Leverkusen are 28-4-0 this season, in all competitions, and they’ve won 18 matches by a multi-goal margin. Here, the Leverkusen vs Mainz lines list Leverkusen -1.5, -2 at -120 odds, and a blowout could potentially be on the cards. Still, Mainz is coming off an important win and Henriksen’s arrival looks to have instilled confidence in the Mainz players.
Also, Mainz have won vs. Leverkusen in each of the last two seasons but are +1100 underdogs here. Mainz +1.5, +2 shows even odds and they’ve lost just one of their last 14 matches by more than one goal. While Mainz has struggled to score recently, their defense hasn’t been too bad. They’ve conceded two or more goals just once in their last 13 games and are 2-6-5 during that time.
A draw (+575) would still mean Leverkusen broke Bayern’s unbeaten streak but it could also mean Bayer lose ground in the title race. They’re currently eight points ahead of Bayern Munich and Alonso will want to make sure they don’t drop any points unnecessarily between now and the end of the season. Both over and under three goals sit at -110 odds for this one and Mainz under 0.5 goals is priced at -135.
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