Mainz vs FC Union Berlin Competition – German Bundesliga Stadium – MEWA ARENA Date: 19th January 2024 Kick-off time – 19:30 GMT
The Bundesliga returns this weekend as Union Berlin travel to the Mewa Arena to face Mainz. The hosts, who have been in the German top flight for 15 straight seasons, are in danger of relegation this campaign after a poor first half of the season where they have won just once in 17 games (D8, L8). They are now winless in seven games (D5, L2) after a 1-1 home draw against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga restart, with that result leaving them in the relegation playoff place and facing a difficult second half of the season. Their main issue this season has been scoring goals with their return of 14 goals the second-worst tally in the division. Their toothlessness in attack combined with their 29 goals conceded means they will have to improve in all areas if they want to avoid their first relegation since 2006/07. But doing well against Union Berlin may not be so straightforward if history is anything to go by as Mainz has won only one of the last nine Bundesliga H2Hs, a home win in early 2021. Meanwhile, Union Berlin have gone from European participants to relegation contenders in the space of six months with the visitors who finished in the top four last season currently lying in 15th place, three points above Mainz. Unlike their hosts, Union are on the rise under new coach Nenad Bjelica who has overseen two wins in just four games in the hot seat (D1, L1) yielding as many points as the previous 12 matchdays. With their 0-0 draw at Freiburg in their last away league game ending a run of six consecutive travelling Bundesliga defeats, they should hold a degree of confidence in building on their upturn in form here. Other fixtures taking place this week in the German Bundesliga:
May 18, 2024
Borussia Dortmund
14:30
Darmstadt
Union Berlin
14:30
SC Freiburg
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
14:30
Augsburg 1907
Eintracht Frankfurt
14:30
RB Leipzig
Wolfsburg
14:30
Mainz
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
14:30
Bayern Munich
Werder Bremen
14:30
VFL Bochum
Stuttgart
14:30
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Heidenheim
14:30
FC Cologne
German Bundesliga Table
#
Team
MP
W
D
L
F
A
G
P
1
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
33
27
6
0
87
23
+64
87
2
Bayern Munich
33
23
3
7
92
41
+51
72
3
Stuttgart
33
22
4
7
74
39
+35
70
4
RB Leipzig
33
19
7
7
75
37
+38
64
5
Borussia Dortmund
33
17
9
7
64
43
+21
60
6
Eintracht Frankfurt
33
11
13
9
49
48
+1
46
7
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
33
12
7
14
62
64
-2
43
8
SC Freiburg
33
11
9
13
44
56
-12
42
9
Heidenheim
33
9
12
12
46
54
-8
39
10
Augsburg 1907
33
10
9
14
49
58
-9
39
11
Werder Bremen
33
10
9
14
44
53
-9
39
12
Wolfsburg
33
10
7
16
40
53
-13
37
13
Borussia Mönchengladbach
33
7
13
13
56
63
-7
34
14
VFL Bochum
33
7
12
14
41
70
-29
33
15
Mainz
33
6
14
13
36
50
-14
32
16
Union Berlin
33
8
6
19
31
57
-26
30
17
FC Cologne
33
5
12
16
27
56
-29
27
18
Darmstadt
33
3
8
22
30
82
-52
17
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