Preview: Werder Bremen vs Mainz 05 - prediction, team news, lineups

Werder Bremen's Weserstadion will be the staging ground for their Bundesliga clash against relegation rivals Mainz 05 on Sunday.

Bremen risk falling from 13th into the relegation playoff spot given their tally of 25 points has them just one point above 16th-placed St Pauli, though 15th-placed Mainz are only keeping their head above water due to goal difference.

Match preview

The hosts come into the clash having triumphed 4-1 against Union Berlin on March 8, their second consecutive win having also won 2-0 against Heidenheim in late February.

Bremen's two victories ended a streak of 13 games without winning - nine losses and four draws - and their six goals were more than the total they netted in their prior nine matches (five).

Daniel Thioune appears to have turned his side's fortunes around after initially suffering defeats in his first three contests in charge, though his team still rank as the division's third worst defensive team having conceded 45 times.

The next few weeks could ultimately prove decisive for the club considering they will face 15th-placed Mainz, 17th-placed Wolfsburg and 14th-placed FC Koln in three of their next four Bundesliga fixtures.

Supporters at Weserstadion saw their team emerge as winners against Heidenheim last time out at the ground, their first triumph at home in seven games, and it was also their first clean sheet in eight clashes at the stadium.

Mainz earned a valuable point when they held Stuttgart to a 2-2 stalemate on March 7, their third consecutive Bundesliga draw.

The visitors extended their drawing streak to four matches when they were held to a goalless draw by Sigma Olomouc on Thursday in the first leg of their Conference League round of 16 tie.

Urs Fischer's side scored four times in those stalemates, whereas they had averaged two goals per game in their previous six matches.

Die Nullfunfer have drawn two, lost one and won one of their four most recent clashes on the road, though they were winless in their prior nine away games, suffering six losses in that period.

Mainz drew 1-1 with Bremen in the reverse fixture in November 2025, but they were defeated in their previous three encounters with their hosts.

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:

Mainz 05 form (all competitions):

Team News

Werder Bremen's uptick in form has been impressive considering star striker Victor Boniface remains out due to a long-term knee injury.

The centre-forward's absence is set to be filled by Keke Topp, and he may be supported in a front three by Romano Schmid and Marco Grull.

Jens Stage and Senne Lynen have been stalwarts in the middle of the pitch, and they could be joined by Cameron Puertas.

Mainz are dealing with numerous absentees, with up to eight members of the squad potentially unavailable, including central defenders Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Stefan Bell.

The visitors could field a three-man defence consisting of Danny da Costa, Stefan Posch and Dominik Kohr, with the trio likely to start behind midfielders Paul Nebel, Kaishu Sano and Jae-Sung Lee.

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:

Backhaus; Sugawara, Stark, Friedl, Deman; Stage, Lynen, Puertas; Grull, Topp, Schmid

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:

Batz; Da Costa, Posch, Kohr; Widmer, Nebel, Sano, Lee, Mwene; Tietz, Becker

We say: Werder Bremen 2-1 Mainz 05

With Werder Bremen having improved considerably of late, they will believe that they can get the better of the visitors.

Mainz's goalscoring troubles have made it difficult for them to take advantage of any of their opponents, and their inability to threaten in behind could cost them on Sunday.

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