The supremacy of Bayern Munich in German football is possibly the most one-sided among all the other top five leagues from a single club and they don’t intend on stopping anytime soon. However, manager Julian Nagelsmann finds himself in a tricky situation where Bayern Munich are being closed down by multiple opponents in the title chase, making this one of the closest and hard-fought Bundesliga campaigns of all time. But for now, the focus shifts to the prestigious cup competition, the DFB Pokal Cup, where the Bavarian giants will face FSV Mainz 05.
Bayern Munich are on a forgettable run of form by their standards since the Bundesliga returned after the FIFA World Cup 2022 and winter break. They have played three matches in the league so far, and have drawn all three matches by a 1-1 margin, struggling to make their presence felt in front of the goal like they typically do. This calls for a cause of concern for Nagelsmann, who has been under the scrutiny for quite a while now.
France’s World Cup star Randal Kolo Muani rescued a crucial point for Eintract Frankfurt at the Allianz Arena, which came as a big shocker for the home fans. His 68th minute strike cancelled out Leroy Sane’s terrific first-half goal and left the management scratching their heads as to what could be done differently. Now, they are being hunted down by Union Berlin, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund in the title race, who have all picked up crucial wins to get within touching distance of the top spot.
To strengthen their creative prowess, Bayern Munich pulled off a stunning transfer coup in the form of a loan deal to sign Manchester City’s Portuguese fullback Joao Cancelo. With Benjamin Pavard running out of contract soon and other fullback options proving to be injury prone, this signing could come in as a massive savior for the side considering Cancelo’s versatility. He has signed on a loan deal until the end of this season with an option for Bayern to buy the player for 70 million Pounds. He could be making his debut for the Bavarians in this match.
Another player who is in the running to appear for the first time is Daley Blind, who signed a short-term contract until the end of this season. Now that the focus shifts to a different competition, another area where it’s Bayern domination altogether with most titles in history (20 time champions), Nagelsmann would be hoping for the players to close out this encounter and pick up a win.
FSV Mainz finished their pre-World Cup fixtures with a draw and kick-started their campaign after the winter break with another draw. Marcus Ingvarsten scored from the penalty but a goal from Serhou Guirassy helped VFB Stuggart pick up a point. The visiting unit had multiple big chances to get at the end of in the second half and dominated the game, but couldn’t get the telling touch. They are now back on home turf, hoping to pull up some big results.
Bo Svensson was a slightly worried man with his side not going without a win in seven matches across all competitions, but they bagged a much-needed win against VfL Bochum. They smashed five goals, which includes a terrific hat-trick from Karim Onisiwo. Both these West German teams are on a similar boat if put it broadly, but despite all these struggles, Bayern will still be the favourites considering the individual quality on display.
If ever there is a good opportunity to turn things around and get on a winning run, this is it for Svensson. Mainz are currently on a run of four home fixtures in five, and despite not having the best of record in front of the home fans lately, winning just two matches in their last 10 games, a packed MEWA Arena will be bouncing and jumping throughout the game to ensure they come up on top of this fixture to cause a massive upset, as unlikely as it might seem.
Bild’s report suggests that Nagelsmann has dialed up the intensity in response to his perception that the mood — and the standards — had become “too relaxed” at Säbener Straße, and also that he had never been as vocally critical or loud as the present moment. (It should be noted that the media don’t have access to all practices.
MNZ vs BAY DFB Pokal Cup 2022/23
Date: February 2, 2023
Time: 1:15 AM IST
Venue: Mewa Arena
FORM GUIDE:
Mainz 05 DFB-Pokal form:
W-W
Mainz 05 form (all competitions):
L-L-D-D-L-W
Bayern Munich DFB-Pokal form:
W-W
Bayern Munich form (all competitions):
W-W-D-D-D-D
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
FSV Mainz wins: 6
Draws: 3
Bayern Munich wins: 27
TEAM NEWS:
FSV Mainz team news:
Mainz will be without Stefan Bell (muscle), Robin Zentner (back), Delano Burgzorg (ankle), Jonathan Burkardt (knee) and Marlon Mustapha (thigh) through injury on Wednesday.
Maxim Leitsch is likely to replace Bell after the defender came off in the 68th-mintue of his side’s win at the weekend, while the likes of Anton Stach and Marcus Ingvartsen could be utilised from the start.
Ingvartsen and Karim Onisiwo, who have scored nine of Mainz’s 20 Bundesliga goals so far this season, are expected to continue their partnership in attack. With a resurgent hat-trick from Onisiwo in the fixture against Bochum, he could be smacking his lips to feature against Mainz.
Bayern Munich team news:
Bayern, meanwhile, will travel without Leon Goretzka, Noussair Mazraoui, Manuel Neuer, Lucas Hernandez, Sadio Mane and Bouna Sarr due to various injury issues, with Nagelsmann’s options to rotate significantly decreased as a result.
Daley Blind will almost certainly make his debut for the club having been an unused substitute in each of Bayern’s three matches following his move from Ajax earlier this month, while Serge Gnabry will expect to start having only come off the bench against Frankfurt on Saturday.
Mathys Tel will be starting the game for the side alongside a comprehensive three of Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala and Kingsley Coman behind him. Marcel Sabitzer, who was a sure-shot starter in this fixture, made a late move to Manchester United on loan, which could see Daley Blind operate in a midfield role which he as done plenty of times with Netherlands and Ajax.
Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:
Dahmen; Hanche-Olsen, Leitsch, Hack; Da Costa, Stach, Barreiro, Caricol; Fulgini, Ingvartsen; Onisiwo
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Ulreich; Pavard, Upamecano, De Ligt, Cancelo; Blind, Gravenberch; Gnabry, Musiala, Coman; Tel
Predictions:
Bayern Munich will come all guns blazing but if the Sunday fixture to get back on winning ways and it is quite evident that they will leave some spaces by committing men forward. This is where the likes of Ingvartsen and Onisiwo must thrive on, alongside the highly exciting Jae-Sung. The forward line will be presented a few chances, but it all depends on whether or not they can complete them.
Despite finding themselves in the bottom half of the table, Mainz’s defensive record has been pretty good, having conceded just 25 goals. The real struggle for them will be in transitions, as Bayern press very well and win the ball back a lot more efficiently than most teams they come across. This should give the hosts a little confidence to turn the tables around, although historically this isn’t a game they’ve done well in.
If the hosts can keep their creative players like Musiala, Coman and Gnabryi silent, that will be half the job done and if the likes of Stach and Caricol are willing the midfield battle, we could be in for an upset as well. However, the onus still sides with Bayern , who will feel hard done if they do not pick up a win here.
Our prediction is for Bayern Munich to win 2-0.
