Bayern Munich will have the chance to move top of the Bundesliga when they host Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
The visitors, meanwhile, head into the encounter in decent form as they aim to record a third successive league win.
Since squandering a two-goal lead away to Borussia Dortmund three weekends ago, Bayern have racked up five successive wins in all competitions to reassert their dominance.
Their impressive 3-0 win away to Barcelona ensured that they will progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League as Group C winners, while Julian Nagelsmann’s side are into the third round of the DFB-Pokal after beating Augsburg 5-2 away from home last week.
In the Bundesliga, they have cut the deficit to league leaders Union Berlin to only one point after beating Hoffenheim 2-0 last time out, meaning that they can move top of the division should they gain a positive result against Mainz due to Urs Fischer’s side not competing until Sunday.
With injuries racking up of late, Eric Choupo-Moting has been a surprise factor among Bayern’s recent revival, with the Cameroon forward bagging five goals in the Bavarians’ last four games. He will hope to be on the scoresheet again on Saturday and drive his team back to the summit of the table in the process.
Mainz, meanwhile, earned their second successive league victory with a thumping 5-0 win at home against FC Koln last time out.
Marcus Ingvartsen’s penalty broke the deadlock after only 11 minutes before Luca Kilian’s dismissal for a second bookable offence 17 minutes later left the visitors with a mountain to climb being one goal and one man down.
However, the manner of Bo Svensson’s side’s win was still impressive against a team which they will feel they are in competition with for a European place this season, with five different goalscorers getting themselves on the scoresheet.
They have been drawn against their forthcoming opponents Bayern in the last 16 of Germany’s domestic cup after beating VfB Lubeck 3-0 away from home last week, when they racked up 25 shots – 10 of which were on target – in a dominant display.
Saturday’s trip to Munich will almost certainly be a completely different game, of course, with Svensson’s side likely to sit deep and look to spring their more illustrious opposition in transition. Having beaten Bayern in two of their last three meetings – albeit at the MEWA Arena on both occasions – they should have nothing to fear, especially with their recent form.
Bayern Munich Bundesliga form:
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Bayern Munich form (all competitions):
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Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:
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Mainz 05 form (all competitions):
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We say: Bayern Munich 3-0 Mainz 05
We expect Bayern to have too much class for Mainz, despite the visitors’ decent form across their last few matches.
The Bavarians have won seven of their last eight matches in all competitions since the international break, and they will be determined to return to the top of the Bundesliga and place significant pressure on Union Berlin.