Bochum face off against Mainz in the Bundesliga of Germany on October 27, with the game beginning at 18:30 UTC.
VfL Bochum and 1. FSV Mainz 05, often referred to simply as Bochum and Mainz, are set to compete again, having previously clashed in a Bundesliga game 9 months ago, which ended in a 5-2 victory for Mainz. Bochum enters this game in a challenging spot, having suffered losses at the hands of SC Freiburg and Hannover. They haven’t celebrated a win in their last 11 outings. Given that they’ve allowed goals in their last 6 home games, it’s likely the team and coaching staff will be focusing heavily on bolstering their defense.
On the other side, Mainz is coming into this match on the back of a defeat to Bayern Munich, marking their 8th game without a win. Defensive issues have been a concern for them as well, with goals conceded in their last 8 matches.
Recent Form
Bochum’s recent form is worrisome, with defeats to SC Freiburg and Hannover. Looking at their last 20 games, they have 3 wins, 11 losses, and 6 draws. Mainz, in their last 20 matches, have secured 4 wins, endured 10 losses, and drawn 6 times.
In Bochum’s last 6 games, they suffered 4 losses (2-1 to SC Freiburg on October 21, 1-3 to Hannover on October 12, 1-3 to Borussia Monchengladbach on September 30, and a staggering 7-0 to Bayern Munich on September 23). They also secured two draws: 0-0 with RB Leipzig on October 7 and 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt on September 17.
Mainz’s last 6 fixtures have seen them lose 5 times (1-3 to Bayern Munich on October 22, 0-3 to Bayer Leverkusen on September 30, 2-1 to Augsburg on September 23, 1-3 to Stuttgart on September 16, and 4-0 to Werder Bremen on September 2) and achieve a single draw (2-2 with Borussia Monchengladbach on October 7).
Team News
Bochum
Manager Thomas Letsch for Bochum will be without several players: Jordi Osei-Tutu is out with a stomach flu, Matus Bero has an inner knee ligament tear, Mohammed Tolba has a cruciate ligament tear, Michael Esser has a knee problem, and Lys Mousset is recovering from an Achilles tendon rupture.
Mainz
For Mainz, manager Bo Svensson has his own roster concerns. Nelson Weiper and Andreas Hanche-Olsen are ruled out due to knee and ankle injuries respectively.
Head-to-head
Since December 2020, Bochum and Mainz have squared off 6 times. Each team has secured 3 victories. Their latest encounter was on January 28, 2023, in the Bundesliga, where Mainz came out on top with a 5-2 scoreline. Over these 6 games, Bochum has netted 10 goals, while Mainz has one more, totaling 11.