Werder Bremen vs Mainz Preview

Bundesliga resumes this Friday with Werder Bremen hosting Mainz in the first match of round 20.

The hosts come into this tie looking to end a poor run of form that has seen them win none of their last four league games (D2, L2). The most recent in that sequence came in the form of a 2-2 draw with ten-men Borussia Dortmund.

Bremen played with a man advantage for over 70 minutes of that game against Dortmund but failed to make the most of their opportunity. However, the positive thing from that game was that they came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2, keeping them well in the hunt for European qualification.

That was the third match already in 2025 in which Ole Werner’s men had conceded first, while it was the second consecutive encounter in which they had let in the first two goals. So they will have a lot to correct in their defending if they want to push for a top six finish this season.

There is concern that Bremen’s home form could scupper that dream as they have the joint-fewest home wins in the Bundesliga this season (W2, D4, L3). Both victories came against sides currently 14th or lower, suggesting that another poor outing could be on the cards here against a Mianz side fighting for a place in the top four.

On a positive note, though, Bremen managed to draw with two of the top four teams at the Weserstadion (Leverkusen and Stuttgart) and claimed a share of the spoils with Dortmund.

Mainz come into this tie sitting in sixth position, having secured nine wins in 19 outings this term (D4, L6). The visitors ended a run of two straight losses last time out, with a 2-0 win over high-flying Stuttgart. That result reduced the gap to the Champions League places to one point, while it was also their seventh win in their last ten games (W7, L3).

However, those three defeats all came away from the MEWA ARENA even though Bo Henriksen’s men were unbeaten on the road this season until early December. They may be licking their lips ahead of Friday, however, as in no stadium other than their home have they managed to win as often in the Bundesliga as here (seven times), having lost only two of the last ten away H2Hs (W5, D3).

Other fixtures taking place this week in the German Bundesliga:

German Bundesliga Table