Union Berlin – FSV Mainz 05
Our Union Berlin – Mainz prediction is: Mainz to win – 2.86 odds
- Union Berlin have lost all of their last seven Bundesliga games
- Mainz 05 have won six of their last eight league games
- The Irons have not won at home since the sixth matchday
The Bundesliga is about to enter match day 18, which means we can look forward to a lot of entertainment again next weekend. The relegation battle, just like the race for the European places, is incredibly exciting and on Sunday afternoon, two teams will meet that are stuck in these table regions and want to take the next important step. Union Berlin will face Mainz 05 in their second home game in a row.
The Berliners are in the throes of an intense crisis and have now been waiting for ten games to secure their fifth win of the season. Mainz, on the other hand, seem to be on a roll at the moment, even though they had to accept a 1-0 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen on the last matchday. Find out who has the better cards in this game in our Union Berlin – Mainz betting tip.
Union Berlin – Mainz info
- Date & Time: 19.01.2025, 3:30 pm
- Venue: Stadion An der Alten Försterei, Berlin
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 18
- TV broadcast/livestream: DAZN
Union Berlin Form & Balance Check
The Unioners are currently probably in their worst crisis since their promotion to the Bundesliga. They have lost the last seven Bundesliga games with a goal difference of 4:16, they have been waiting for the next three points for ten games, and the appointment of Steffen Baumgart as the new coach does not seem to be bearing fruit yet either.
Due to their poor results, the Berliners have slipped from a Champions League spot to 13th place in the table and now have to be extremely careful not to be drawn even deeper into the relegation battle. They currently have only a three-point lead over the relegation spot.
Non-existent offense
With an expected goal value of 17.6, Union Berlin has the lowest value of any Bundesliga team. They have also scored just 14 real goals, making their offense the second-worst in the Bundesliga after St. Pauli (12). They have scored just one goal in their last four games and it doesn’t appear that they will be making any major changes to their style of play.
This is mainly due to the lack of efficiency that Union had almost perfected in recent years. Even though they are in the middle of the league with 12.41 shots per 90 minutes, they only score an average of 0.21 goals per shot on target, which means that they need around five shots on target before the ball ends up in the opponent’s box.
Union Berlin Facts & Analysis
- 13th place in the table
- Without a win in ten Bundesliga games
- Last game lost 0:2 against Augsburg
Mainz form & record check
This season’s surprise team has had an excellent first half of the season and would now like to build on their performances in the second half of the season. Although they lost the midweek game against Leverkusen 1-0, the Rhine Hessians showed themselves from a very good side again and only just missed out on equalizing. In addition to this defeat, there was another defeat against Wolfsburg in the last five games, otherwise they were able to win against Bayern, Frankfurt and Bochum respectively.
Thanks to these very good results, Mainz have climbed steadily up the table and are currently in sixth place, which would be enough for the Europa League. Even if it is currently just a pipe dream on the part of Mainz, it should be said that they are only two points away from the Champions League.
Solid away form
The away factor seems to have had very little impact on Mainz 05 this season. Although they lost their last two games in Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, both matches were extremely close and the 05ers showed very good play in both encounters.
In addition to these two defeats, Mainz have drawn twice in eight away games so far and won four times. With 14 points and a goal difference of 18 goals scored and only 11 goals conceded, Bo Henriksen’s team are in sixth place in the away goals table, ahead of teams such as Stuttgart, Leipzig and Dortmund.
Mainz facts & analysis
- Sixth place
- Three wins from the last five games
- Last game lost 1-0 against Leverkusen
After the debacle against Augsburg, Union Berlin will make at least one personnel change in defense. In a 4-3-3, Steffen Baumgart will rely on Diogo Leite in central defense and Skov on the left, with Doekhi and Roussillon initially taking a seat on the bench.
The Rhine Hessians will start the next game in a 3-4-2-1 formation. It is still unclear whether Bo Henriksen will be able to call on captain and goal scorer Burkardt again. If he doesn’t get fit in time, Sieb will take over, as he did against Leverkusen. Amiri is also returning from a red suspension and will probably start in the center again. Kohr will move back into the back three for this. It is unclear whether he will displace Hanche-Olsen or da Costa on the bench.
Union Berlin – Mainz Comparison & Stats
1. FC Union and 1. FSV Mainz 05 have played each other only 17 times. Six of those games were in the 2nd Bundesliga and 11 were in the Bundesliga. The numbers are still pretty even in these few games.
The upcoming hosts have won this fixture seven times, with Mainz winning just five. In addition, there have already been five draws between the two. This was also the case in the first half of the season, when the teams drew 1-1 in Mainz.
Direct comparison (H2H)
