Match Preview: Dortmund travel to Mainz 05

BVB is travelling to Mainz this weekend to play the first game of the second half of the season. Mainz have been playing quite a bit better this season then our last opponet, currently sitting 11th on the table with 21 points. Nuri Sahin is hurt and won’t be avaible for the game but everyone else should be ready to go. Tuchel said that our new pick up Alexander Isak needs time to adjust to the team, but didn’t rule him out.

After a win aginst Werder last week that put us in 4th, BVB need to keep things rolling against Mainz 05. With a win against Mainz we would move into 3rd place. The BVB social predicted lineup is actually really good.

If Raph is actually starting we should feel very confident for this match. It feels like whever he plays the whole team plays better. The rest of the midfield is also near perfect. Castro is not as good an attacking option as Gotze but he is still better with defensive duties. Our backline is also good to see with Ginter being the only worrying spot. Aubameyang will be back in the lineup after a bad performance with Gabon in AFCON 2017. He whiffed on some easy chances before his elimination, hopefully that doesn’t effect his confidence for BVB.

As for Mainz, they aren’t the dangerous squad they were last year. Star Yunus Malli is no longer with the 05ers after moving to Wolfsburg this window. That leaves alot of pressure on Muto to be the center of the Mainz attack. In their last game Mainz got blown out 3-0 by Frankfurt. Hopefully if they can do it, we can as well. However playing games in Opel Arena is no easy task. Mainz have a good record at home this season and the support is some of the best in Europe.

What do y’all think the score will be on Sunday?