RB Leipzig vs. Mainz 05 preview: Die Roten Bullen looking to cement top-four hopes at home | OneFootball

With Ole Werner’s Leipzig and Urs Fischer’s Mainz locked in battles at opposite ends of the table, Saturday’s clash at the Red Bull Arena promises to be a tense affair, with a crucial three points on the line for both sides.

RB Leipzig

Leipzig have endured a spell of inconsistency in recent weeks. After a flying start to the season that saw them lose just twice in their opening 13 matches, the Red Bulls have since been beaten three times in their last six, placing their top-four position - which they currently hold only on goal difference - under increasing threat as rivals begin to gather pace.

That patchy form continued in midweek, as Leipzig were held to a 1-1 draw away at relegation-threatened St. Pauli on Tuesday evening. Yan Diomande’s 66th-minute opener looked set to secure all three points, but a lack of attacking intent kept the hosts alive until Martijn Kaars converted a stoppage-time penalty to snatch an equaliser. Despite the late setback, the draw was enough for Leipzig to leapfrog Stuttgart into fourth on as they push for a return to European football.

Ole Werner has called on his side to show greater ruthlessness in the final third:

“There will also be phases again where Mainz sits deep, as was the case in the last matches. As such, it's always a difficult task to create chances against a deep-lying opponent. Against St. Pauli, we had some situations where it came down to the final pass or contact. We're still lacking a bit in being more precise in those moments and demonstrating that precision.”

Team news: 

Asan Ouédraogo, Castello Lukeba and Viggo Gebel remain sidelined, while new signing Suleiman Sani has picked up an ankle injury in training that will rule him out for several weeks. Christoph Baumgartner is suspended after collecting his fifth yellow card, though Johan Bakayoko has returned to training, with a decision on his availability expected on Friday.

Mainz 05

Life under Urs Fischer has taken a clear turn for the better in Mainz. The 05ers have climbed out of the automatic relegation places and up to 15th, losing just one of their last six league fixtures. The one lingering hump to overcome in Fischer’s early tenure is Mainz’s away form, with a first road victory still proving elusive - a trend they will be desperate to change on Saturday.

Last time out produced a morale-boosting comeback win at home against Wolfsburg, with Mainz prevailing 3-1 in the end despite going behind inside the opening three minutes. New signing Philipp Tietz and Nadiem Amiri continued to impress under the new manager, both getting on the scoresheet as Stefan Bell grabbed the other in a dominant Mainz performance. The 34-year-old defender is now in line to make his 300th Bundesliga appearance this weekend.

Fischer is setting his sights firmly on all three points in Leipzig:

“There are three points for the taking here. That has to be the goal in every game we play, no matter where we travel to. If you believe anything else, you may as well not get on the bus or the plane.”

Team news: 

Robin Zentner, Nikolas Veratschnig, Anthony Caci and Andreas Hanche-Olsen continue their recoveries and will miss out. Sota Kawasaki was forced to cut short his training session on Wednesday and is doubtful.

H-2-H record

Leipzig have lost just one of the last four meetings between the two sides, although Mainz are unbeaten in their last three visits to the Red Bull Arena. The reverse fixture on matchday three ended in a narrow 1-0 Leipzig victory, courtesy of a Johan Bakayoko strike.

Predicted lineups

RB Leipzig (4-3-3): Gulácsi (GK) - Baku, Orbán, Bitshiabu, Raum - Seiwald, Banzuzi, Schlager - Nusa, Rômulo, Diomande 

Mainz 05 (3-5-2): Batz (GK) - Posch, Bell, Kohr - da Costa, J-S Lee, Sano, Amiri, Widmer - Hollerbach, Tietz