Mainz head into matchday 28 in desperate need of a win versus Union Berlin. The 05ers are coming off a humiliating 5-0 loss at the hands of RB Leipzig at the weekend.
Now, coach Achim Beierlorzer needs his club to gain a win to move further away from the bottom three. Just three points separate Mainz heading into midweek from 16th-place Fortuna Dusseldorf.
Union Berlin have hit the skids in recent weeks. The capital club are winless in their last four league matches with three straight ending in losses. Last Friday night saw Union Berlin lose the capital derby to Hertha Berlin 4-0.
The Iron Ones have been played off the park in recent weeks and it is theorised that without supporters in the stands that they will continue to struggle. Coach Urs Fischer will be buoyed by Union Berlin’s win versus Mainz earlier this campaign.
The boss is expecting a closer match on Wednesday against @fcunion_en ⚔️#UpTheMainz #FCUM05 pic.twitter.com/z5GTFy62Z4— Mainz 05 English (@Mainz05en) May 25, 2020
The boss is expecting a closer match on Wednesday against @fcunion_en ⚔️#UpTheMainz #FCUM05 pic.twitter.com/z5GTFy62Z4
Union Berlin won 3-2 with Sebastian Andersson scoring twice and an own goal from Mainz’s Daniel Brosinski. The Iron Ones were 2-0 up at halftime with Mainz making a second-half comeback that came up just short.
Their previous meeting this season was the first match between the two clubs since 2003-04 in the Bundesliga 2. Union Berlin will aim to do the double over the 05ers. Their home form has been decent with 19 points from 39 possible gained.
Fischer’s team have played well on the defensive side of the ball with a mere 18 goals allowed at home. Mainz’s road form hasn’t been great with 13 points collected. They average a mere 1.0 points per game on the road.
The 05ers have allowed 34 goals on their travels which are the most in the division. Their last away fixture played at Koln saw Mainz come back from two goals down in the second half to score twice and finish level.
Union Berlin are struggling after a strong first half of the season. It is difficult to see them continuing on the path they did previously especially with fans banned from home games. It is likely that the club will sink down the table with Mainz drawing closer.
The 05ers need to win to move away from the bottom three. They should be able to get the victory they need versus Union Berlin with both sides finding the back of the net in an entertaining midweek match.
The last fixture between the two teams saw over 2.5 goals and both teams score. Wednesday’s game should be very similar when Mainz visit Union Berlin.