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Paderborn will make their long-awaited return to the Bundesliga this weekend when they travel to Rhineland-Palatinate to face Mainz at Mewa Arena.
Ralf Kettemann's side secured promotion to the top flight after six seasons in the 2. Bundesliga, beating Wolfsburg 2-1 after extra time in the second leg of their playoff tie.
Mainz, meanwhile, will be looking to improve on a 10th-placed finish last season after collecting 40 points from 34 league matches, although they ended the campaign comfortably clear of the relegation places.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Mainz vs Paderborn key stats
- Mainz have scored 19 goals across their last five matches.
- Die Nullfünfer are unbeaten in their last eight games heading into the Bundesliga opener.
- The pair have met just four times, with Paderborn yet to beat Mainz.
- Paderborn's promotion brought an end to Wolfsburg's 29-year stay in the Bundesliga.
Mainz vs Paderborn preview: Can the promoted side cause an opening-day upset?
Mainz vs Paderborn — Tale of the Tape
| Mainz | vs | Paderborn |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | Position | N/A |
| N/A | Points | N/A |
| N/A | Goals For | N/A |
| N/A | Goals Against | N/A |
| N/A | Clean Sheets | N/A |
| N/A | Home / Away Rank | N/A |
After finishing four places lower than in the previous campaign, Mainz will be hoping to begin their Bundesliga season with a victory for the first time since 2022.
Urs Fischer is preparing for his first full season in charge after taking over at Mewa Arena last December, and the experienced coach has already made a positive impact, recording 13 wins from his 28 matches at the helm after taking on his first managerial role in more than two years.
That improvement was badly needed when Fischer arrived, with Mainz sitting bottom of the Bundesliga after winning just one of their opening 16 matches.
Fischer's tenure did not begin perfectly, with the 05ers failing to win any of his first three games, but a strong finish to the campaign helped Mainz climb away from danger and ultimately retain their Bundesliga status with a fairly comfortable margin.
They now enter a 17th consecutive season in Germany's top flight after an encouraging pre-season, during which they remained unbeaten and twice scored at least 10 goals before making an emphatic start to their cup campaign with a 9-0 victory over fifth-tier 1921 Krieschow.
As for the visiting side, the North-Rhine Westphalia-based side secured their return to the Bundesliga through the playoffs after finishing third in the 2. Bundesliga with 62 points, level with second-placed Elversberg but missing out on automatic promotion due to their inferior goal difference.
Paderborn had to settle for the playoffs after a late-season dip saw them lose a top-of-the-table clash with Schalke before suffering a heavy 5-1 defeat to Elversberg, which ultimately proved costly in the promotion race.
A 2-2 draw with Karlsruhe on the penultimate matchday left them needing a victory against Darmstadt on the final day, and they delivered to set up a two-legged tie with Wolfsburg.
Ralf Kettemann's side then held Wolfsburg to a goalless draw in the first leg before completing the job at home, coming from behind to win 2-1 after extra time.
Laurin Curda's 100th-minute strike sealed Paderborn's promotion and ended Wolfsburg's 29-year stay in the Bundesliga.
Their promotion capped a remarkable first season in charge for Kettemann, while Paderborn will now return to the Bundesliga for the first time since their relegation in 2020.
Paderborn's pre-season was also encouraging, with Kettemann's side losing just one of their seven friendlies before opening their competitive campaign with a 4-2 victory over Phonix Lubeck in the DFB-Pokal.
Mainz vs Paderborn form guide & betting tips
| Mainz | vs | Paderborn |
|---|---|---|
W |
Form | W |
| N/A | Points | N/A |
| N/A | Form Table | N/A |
| 9 | Goals For | 4 |
| 1 | Goals Against | 2 |
W |
Form (All Comps) | W |
Whispers predicts: Mainz 2-1 Paderborn
Both sides have been involved in plenty of goals during their pre-season campaigns and continued that trend in their DFB Pokal openers, so we expect another entertaining Bundesliga opener.
Mainz's recent attacking form has been particularly impressive, while Paderborn showed they can threaten in the final third with four goals against Phonix Lubeck.
We expect Mainz to edge a closely fought encounter, with Over 2.5 Goals priced at 4/6 and a home win available at the same odds.
That exact 2-1 scoreline is priced at 15/2.
> Over 2.5 Goals at 4/6 | Likelihood: Probable
> Mainz to win at 4/6 | Likelihood: Probable
> Exact scoreline of 2-1 at 15/2 | Likelihood: Longshot