Bundesliga: Euro Chasers Meet in Monchengladbach

Borussia Monchengladbach vs Mainz

Eighth hosts fourth in the Bundesliga curtain-raiser this Friday when Gerardo Seoane’s Borussia Monchengladbach welcome Bo Henriksen’s FSV Mainz 05.

Both teams are in the thick of the race for European places. Die Fohlen are ahead of big hitters VfB Stuttgart, and Borussia Dortmund and only a point behind sixth-placed RB Leipzig, while Die Nullfunfer are in fourth place, a point ahead of SC Freiburg and one behind Eintracht Frankfurt in third. This campaign is bubbling up to an exciting climax and this match is at the centre of the action.

Both teams come into the game in good form. Monchengladbach were comfortable 3-0 winners away to Heidenheim last week, while Mainz picked up a hugely impressive 2-1 win away to RB Leipzig.

 

Talking Points

Die Fohlen are competitive among the big boys again 

Once a powerhouse of German football, Monchengladbach have been quiet for a number of campaigns, and even this term they have struggled against top half teams since the turn of the year.

But, in February, Die Fohlen beat VfB Stuttgart away from home and followed that up with a 1-1 draw at home to Eintracht Frankfurt. Tim Kleindienst scored against the Eagles, and the 29-year-old has led the line superbly throughout his first season in Monchengladbach. He also scored the winner in a recent match against FC Augsburg to make it 14 for the campaign to go along with his six assists.

At 6’4”, the former Heidenheim forward is a real handful, strong in the air, and nimble on the ground, though he had an off day against his old team last week as Nathan Ngoumou bagged a brace. With Robin Hack making up the front three, this is a team with teeth, and the experienced Alassane Plea still plays a big role, scoring six goals this term.

Captain Julian Wiegl pulls the strings in midfield to support his attack, providing an assist for the opener last week, while the classy Swiss defender Nico Elvedi has been a calming influence at the back over his 10 years at the club.

 

Burkardt on fire for Mainz

While Kleindienst is enjoying his time at Borussia Park, Die Nullfunfer have their own lethal weapon in Germany international Jonathan Burkardt. The 24-year-old has scored 14 goals this season, including the winner against RB Leipzig last week, and the opener in a recent 2-0 win over Heidenheim, the first of a three-match winning run for Mainz.

That goal tally puts him and Kleindienst in joint-fourth place, alongside BVB’s Serhou Guirassy, in the race for the Bundesliga Golden Boot and with former Eintracht star Omar Marmoush now a Manchester City player they are effectively third.

Henriksen is likely to match Seoane with a 4-3-3 formation, with Jae-Sung Lee and Paul Nebel, who both scored in the 2-0 win against St. Pauli, alongside Burkardt. And just in behind, midfield ace Nadiem Amiri is a creative ball-player, as he took a ball from Nebel to score the opener against the Red Bulls and teed up the winner for Burkardt. 

Another player to watch is French wing-back Antony Caci, a pacey left-sider who loves to join the attack. And with two forward-thinking head coaches, I think we’re in for an entertaining watch on Friday. 

 

History

When you look at the head-to-heads, Die Fohlen have 17 wins to 14 for Mainz 05 in all competitions, but the last three games have all ended in a draw.

The two teams played out a 1-1 stalemate in Mainz last October, as Kleindienst equalised for Die Fohlen after a Stefan Lainer own goal had given the hosts a lead. And the two teams had the same result on that ground last term while drawing the 2023/24 game in Monchengladbach 2-2.

Both are in good form with four wins, one draw, and one defeat from the last six games, and the pre-match Bundesliga 2025 betting odds say we’re in for another tight match on Friday.

 

Betting Tip

This is a really tough game to call with a home win at SBOTOP odds of 2.36 and an away win at 2.53, and another draw is priced at 3.19. And we can make a good case for all three outcomes with another stalemate pretty likely.

With two teams likely to be set up to match each other, we should see goals and Bundesliga 2025 highlights, and I think we’ll see a close game decided by the odd strike, if at all.

   

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