Still licking their wounds from their DFB Pokal exit, Mainz return to action in the German Bundesliga when they play host to Werder Bremen at MEWA Arena on Saturday. While Die Nullfunfer will be looking to bounce back this weekend, Bremen will be out to secure back-to-back league victories for the first time in April.
FootballWhispers’ Mainz vs Werder Bremen prediction takes a look at the chances of both sides coming away with the desired result on Saturday.
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Mainz vs Werder Bremen prediction: An action-packed contest on the cards
Key stats
- Werder Bremen are on a four-game winning streak against Mainz and are unbeaten in their most recent five encounters (4W, 1D) since a 2-0 loss in October 2022.
- Mainz have lost their last four Bundesliga home matches and have failed to taste victory in their nine games at MEWA Arena since the start of March.
- Werder Bremen have failed to win four of their last five away matches in all competitions this season, losing three and claiming one draw so far.
- Mainz have conceded the opening goal in four of their last five meetings against Bremen, with a combined 13 goals scored across the five matches.
- There have been at least three goals scored in six of Werder Bremen’s eight Bundesliga matches this season, with Die Werderaner scoring 12 and conceding 16 so far.
Correct score prediction: Mainz 2-2 Werder Bremen
It has been a challenging start to the new campaign for Mainz, who find themselves in the Bundesliga bottom three and will be keen to stop the rot this weekend. Werder Bremen are on a dominant run in the fixture, but they have struggled for consistency on the road, and we fancy Die Nullfunfer to hold out for a share of the spoils at MEWA Arena.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Mainz favoured by bookies to come out on top
- HOME: 1/1 (2.00) – 50%
- DRAW: 11/4 (3.75) – 26.7%
- AWAY: 23/10 (3.30) – 30.3%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Despite their recent struggles in this fixture, the bookmakers have Mainz as favourites to secure maximum points at MEWA Arena this weekend.
This is indicated by their 50% win probability, compared to Werder Bremen’s 30.3%, while there is a 26.7% possibility of the game ending in a stalemate.
A 14th-minute strike from Leonardo Bittencourt saw nine-man Werder Bremen secure a 1-0 victory over Mainz in their most recent encounter on January 31.
While we take a deeper look into both teams, you can take a peek at some of FootballWhispers’ best picks and predictions for this weekend’s fixtures in today’s free football betting tips.
Most recent H2Hs: Werder Bremen on a dominant run
Werder Bremen holds a slight upper hand in this fixture across their last 10 encounters, having picked up five wins, one more than Mainz's four.
Four of Bremen’s five victories in that time have come in the last four meetings between the two teams, with Die Werderaner scoring eight goals and keeping three clean sheets across the four matches.
Germany Bundesliga I 31/01/25
Werder Bremen
Mainz
Germany Bundesliga I 15/09/24
Mainz
Werder Bremen
Germany Bundesliga I 03/02/24
Mainz
Werder Bremen
Germany Bundesliga I 02/09/23
Werder Bremen
Mainz
Germany Bundesliga I 08/04/23
Mainz
Werder Bremen
Mainz preview: In need of a morale-boosting result
Mainz were dumped out of the DFB Pokal in the second round on Wednesday when they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Stuttgart on home turf.
Luca Jaquez opened the scoring in the sixth minute to put Stuttgart in front at MEWA Arena before Atakan Karazor doubled the lead in the 73rd minute to make sure of the result.
This was in keeping with their struggles in the Bundesliga, where Mainz have lost each of their last four matches and have managed just one win from their seven games so far.
While Bo Henriksen’s men have struggled back home, they have flown out of the blocks in the UEFA Conference League, where they have won their opening two matches, seeing off Omonia Nicosia and Zrinjski while scoring two goals and keeping two clean sheets.
Mainz have picked up four points from their eight Bundesliga matches so far to sit 16th in the league table, level on points with 17th-placed Heidenheim and just one point above rock-bottom Borussia Monchengladbach.
Predicted lineup: Zentner, Hanche-Olsen, Bell, Kohr, Widmer, Sano, Amiri, Mwene, Nebel, Lee & Hollerbach
Last five games
- Mainz 0-2 Stuttgart (DFB Pokal)
- Stuttgart 2-1 Mainz (Bundesliga)
- Mainz 1-0 Zrinjski (Conference League)
- Mainz 3-4 Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga)
- Hannover 4-0 Mainz (Bundesliga)
Werder Bremen preview: Aiming to continue new-found form
Werder Bremen picked up consecutive home wins for the first time since April last Friday when they held on to see out a 1-0 victory over Union Berlin on home turf.
Following a goalless first half at the Weserstadion, Austrian international Marco Grull came up trumps for the hosts as he netted in the 72nd minute to hand them a hard-earned victory.
Werder Bremen have now gone three consecutive games without defeat, claiming two wins and one draw, having failed to win five of their first six matches across all competitions to start the season.
With 11 points from eight games, Horst Steffen’s men are currently ninth in the Bundesliga standings, level on points with eighth-placed Koln, but could surge into sixth place with a win this weekend.
Predicted lineup: Backhaus, Sugawara, Pieper, Coulibaly, Friedl, Stage, Lynen, Grull, Schmid, Mbangula & Boniface
Last five games
- Werder Bremen 1-0 Union Berlin (Bundesliga)
- Heidenheim 2-2 Werder Bremen (Bundesliga)
- Werder Bremen 1-0 St. Pauli (Bundesliga)
- Bayern Munich 4-0 Werder Bremen (Bundesliga)
- Werder Bremen 0-3 Freiburg (Bundesliga)
Player to watch — Nadiem Amiri
Nadiem Amiri has been a bright spark for Mainz in what has been a difficult start to the campaign and the German international will be one to keep an eye on.
While Amiri had a relatively quiet outing against Stuttgart last time out, he has already hit double-digit goal contributions for club and country this season (8G, 2A).
The former Bayer Leverkusen man should retain his role at the centre of the park this weekend, teaming up with Japanese international Kaishu Sano, while we expect a back three of Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Stefan Bell and Dominik Kohr.