Mainz 05 against Dortmund: Duel of promoted teams and defensive skills!

Mainz 05 against Dortmund: Duel of promoted teams and defensive skills!

The 5th matchday of the Bundesliga promises pure excitement today when 1. FSV Mainz 05 faces Borussia Dortmund in the Mewa Arena. After Mainz's first win of the season against Augsburg, the pressure on the team has eased somewhat. Despite the 4-1 win, the team is currently in 13th place in the table with a total of four points. That's where Dortmund come in at the right time, as they are undefeated in second place and can boast a positive record of three wins in a row. Dortmund also have a recent 1-0 win against Wolfsburg, which puts them six points clear of Mainz. Wette.de reports on an exciting duel in the Mewa Arena.

The absence of Dominik Kohr, who is suspended due to a red card, is particularly critical for the home team. This gives Stefan Bell the opportunity to return to the back three. Mainz have scored a total of nine goals in their last four games, but have also conceded at least one goal in each of these games. The last meetings between these two teams were extremely even, in the previous season both teams won their home game 3-1. And the history of the last five meetings also points to a close affair, as Dortmund only managed to win once against Mainz.

The lineups are crucial

The expected line-up of Mainz 05 in a 3-4-3 system is as follows: Zentner; Da Costa, Bell, Hanche-Olsen; Widmer, Sano, Amiri, Mwene; Fog, Nordin; Sieve. Borussia Dortmund under coach Niko Kovac will also play in a 3-4-3, with Kobel in goal. Dortmund's formation could include Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini in defense and Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha and Svensson in midfield. Adeyemi, Guirassy and Beier are available on offense. Guirassy is Dortmund's top scorer with five goals this season.

The betting odds speak for themselves: Borussia Dortmund are traded as favorites with odds of 2.07, while Mainz 05 are offered at 3.35. A draw is 3.75. If you bet on a high-scoring match, you will find a odds of 1.57 for over 2.5 goals, while for fewer than 2.5 goals there is a odds of 2.40. Kicker offers more detailed information about the odds and betting market.

Matchday at a glance

In addition to this encounter, there are other exciting encounters in the Bundesliga. The game between Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen took place on September 26, 2025 and ended 4-0. Also on the program today are the games between Heidenheim and Augsburg, FC St. Pauli against Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Wolfsburg against RB Leipzig. These games all start at the same time as the duel between Mainz and Dortmund, at 3:30 p.m.

Fans can look forward to an exciting matchday, with 1. FC Köln taking on VfB Stuttgart on Sunday. Preparations are already in full swing and spectators can look forward to exciting football moments.