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Sports Mole previews Saturday's Bundesliga clash between Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

A win for Borussia Dortmund on Saturday against hosts Mainz 05 at Mewa Arena in the Bundesliga would keep up the early pressure on league-leaders Bayern Munich.

Mainz's 4-1 victory against Augsburg last Saturday means they head into matchday five in 13th place with four points, but they trail second-placed Dortmund by six points following their 1-0 win against Wolfsburg on September 21.

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Match preview

The home side were already winning 2-0 against Augsburg by the time Dominik Kohr was sent off in the 53rd minute, but they managed to score another two goals before they finally conceded seven minutes from time.

Mainz's victory was their first in the Bundesliga in 2025-26, with the club having suffered two defeats in their opening four in the league.

Bo Henriksen's side have conceded one in all of their league matches, and they have failed to keep their opponents at bay in 11 top-flight games.

In the final third, Die Nullfunfer have scored four goals in two of their four most recent fixtures, netting nine times overall in that period.

Mainz's only win at Mewa Arena this campaign was in a Conference League qualifier against Rosenborg on August 28, and they were beaten in the away Bundesliga matches either side of that victory.

BVB continued their positive momentum under the direction of Niko Kovac when they beat Wolfsburg, preventing the Wolves from producing a single shot on target.

Dortmund are one of two undefeated teams left in the Bundesliga alongside Bayern Munich, who they are set to face in matchday seven on October 18.

Black and Yellow failed to net more than once for the first time in 12 outings when they played Wolfsburg, with the visitors having scored 12 goals in their prior four.

Kovac has guided his side to three clean sheets in four, though they did concede four times in the Champions League when they drew with Juventus on September 16.

Dortmund's record against Mainz in recent seasons has room for improvement considering they have only won once in five clashes against Die Nullfunfer, with both winning 3-1 at their respective stadiums in 2024-25.

BVB have triumphed in four of their six fixtures this term, and they have emerged victorious in two of their four matches on their travels, settling for draws twice.

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

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Team News

Henriksen knows he cannot call upon Kohr due to suspension, but he has often relied on Stefan Bell in the past, so it should not be an issue if he came into the hosts' back three.

Regular Kaishu Sano scored and assisted last time out, and he is set to retain his place in midfield alongside Nadiem Amiri.

Dortmund welcomed centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck back into the starting lineup against Wolfsburg following a 175-day absence, but while he will be looking to start for a second time this season, Emre Can and Niklas Sule remain unavailable due to injuries.

Schlotterbeck may be joined in a three-man backline by Waldemar Anton and Ramy Bensebaini, and the trio could be shielded by Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha.

Serhou Guirassy is the club's leading scorer having netted five times in all competitions, and he is set to lead a forward line featuring Karim Adeyemi and Maximilian Beier.

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:

Zentner; Da Costa, Bell, Hanche-Olsen; Widmer, Sano, Amiri, Mwene; Nebel, Nordin; Sieb

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson; Adeyemi, Guirassy, Beier

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We say: Mainz 05 0-3 Borussia Dortmund

 

It is hard to see Mainz keeping Dortmund out on Saturday given the visitors have been outstanding in the final third.

Black and Yellow have also improved defensively despite their injury concerns, so expect them to perform excellently at both ends of the pitch.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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