Does FCA confirm their rising form in Mainz?
On Saturday, it comes to a duel of two table neighbours in the Bundesliga. 1. FSV Mainz 05 are in twelfth place with 23 points. If the bets on an away win for Mainz against Augsburg are correct, the Bavarian Swabians would overtake the Rhinelanders in the table. However, in their last Bundesliga home game so far, the Nullfünfer celebrated a brilliant 5:2 victory over VfL Bochum
However, the home record of the Red and Whites is not too frightening. No Bundesliga team has won less often at home in the 2022/23 season in league play than the Rheinhessen (only two home wins, just like Hertha and Schalke). It is therefore risky to predict a home win for Mainz against Augsburg, especially as the visitors from the Fuggerstadt have won two of their last three league games.
However, Augsburg’s two most recent victories were also home wins. On foreign grounds, the Bavarian Swabians have also been struggling for some time. They have taken only one point out of a possible 15 from their last five Bundesliga away games (one draw, four defeats). Accordingly, the three-way system is hard to hit in this close match between two direct table neighbours.
Meanwhile, we find the greatest value in betting that both teams will score.
Mainz – Statistics & current form
This time two years ago, 1. FSV Mainz 05 were still in acute danger of relegation after a disastrous Hinrunde. Then, however, Bo Svennson took over as coach of the only remaining Bundesliga team from Rhineland-Palatinate and led the Nullfünfer to a place in the league.
Last season, the Rheinhessen team was involved in the fight for an international competition for a long time, but in the end “only” finished in eighth place. Nevertheless, everyone involved was satisfied, especially since there were never any relegation worries.
Only one win from the last eight league games
Everything looked good for a long time in the new season, too, before the red and whites got a little off track recently. FSV have only won one of their last eight league games (two draws, five defeats) and, with only five points out of a possible 24, are only seven points clear of the relegation places.
That is still a sizeable cushion, so worry lines would be out of place. However, if the Rheinhessen side lose their home game against FCA, they would drift back into the bottom third of the table for the time being, a place they would naturally prefer to stay away from entirely.
The fewest home wins in the Bundesliga
One factor that could help them avoid any doubts about staying in the league could be an improvement in their home record. After all, FSV have only won two league games at home (just like Hertha and Schalke). No other Bundesliga team recorded fewer victories at home in the 2022/23 season.
It is therefore all the more surprising that the betting odds on Mainz against Augsburg swing so clearly in the direction of the Rheinhessen side, who curiously played big in their only two home wins (5:2 against Bochum and 5:0 against Cologne), but only managed to score a total of four goals in the other seven winless home games.
Predicted line-up of Mainz:
Dahmen – Caci – Fernandes – Bell – Hanche-Olsen – Widmer – Kohr – Barreiro – Onisiwo – Stach – Ajorque
Injured and suspended Mainz players:
Burgzorg, Burkardt, Zentner (all three injured)
Last matches played by Mainz:
Bundesliga
04/02/2023 – Union Berlin 2 – 1 Mainz 05
DFB Cup
02/02/2023 – Mainz 05 0 – 4 Bayern Munich
Bundesliga
28/01/2023 – Mainz 05 5 – 2 VfL Bochum
26/01/2023 – Mainz 05 1 – 2 Borussia Dortmund
21/01/2023 – VfB Stuttgart 1 – 1 Mainz 05
Augsburg – Statistics & current form
Augsburg FC were looking for another quiet season in the Beletage of German football after finishing 14th in the final table of the 2021/22 season. Under new coach Enrico Maaßen, the Fuggerstädter also celebrated resounding successes early in the season, when, for example, unexpected victories were achieved away at Leverkusen (2:1) and at home against Bayern (1:0).
In the last quarter of the season in particular, however, the Bavarian Swabians were a bit of a mess, going winless in eight consecutive league matches between matchday nine and matchday 16 (three draws, five defeats).
Winless in five Bundesliga away games
In the meantime, the form crisis seems to have been overcome, at least in their own stadium. FCA won their last two home games with 1:0 against Gladbach and Leverkusen and collected six points from the last three games – as many points as in the previous nine games in total.
Away from home, however, Enrico Maassen’s team is still in the doldrums. Augsburg have failed to win any of their last five league games away from home (one draw, four defeats).
Won six of last eight league matches against Mainz
The Fuggerstädter can nevertheless be optimistic about their visit to Rhineland-Palatinate. After all, they have won six of their last eight Bundesliga encounters against the Nullfünfer (two defeats), which should be taken into account in the forecast for Mainz against Augsburg.
In addition, attacker Mergim Berisha has recently been in impressive form. The 24-year-old on loan from Fenerbahce Istanbul has scored in each of the last three league games in a row and has thus played a key role in the recent upswing.
Augsburg’s likely line-up:
Gikiewicz – Pedersen – Uduokhai – Gouweleeuw – Gumny – Rexhbecaj – Engels – Demirovic – Maier – Beljo – Berisha
Injured and suspended Augsburg players:
Cardona, Hahn, Iago, Oxford, Strobl, Vargas (all six injured)
Last matches played by Augsburg:
Bundesliga
04/02/2023 – Augsburg 1 – 0 Bayer Leverkusen
28/01/2023 – SC Freiburg 3 – 1 Augsburg
26/01/2023 – Augsburg 1 – 0 Gladbach
22/01/2023 – Borussia Dortmund 4 – 3 Augsburg
Club friendlies
14/01/2023 – Augsburg 1 – 0 VfL Wolfsburg
Mainz – Augsburg Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Head to head: 12 – 6 – 15
There have been a total of 33 meetings between the two teams so far and FC Augsburg have won the majority of all duels with 15 victories. Recently, however, things have gone better for the Rheinhessen side in this match, who not only won the first leg 2-1, but have also won two of the last three meetings with FCA (one defeat).
Mainz – Augsburg Tip
The bookmakers’ odds on Mainz against Augsburg are clearly in favour of the home side, which is a surprising assessment. After all, FSV is the Bundesliga team with the fewest home wins in the Bundesliga. In addition, Bo Svensson’s side have only won one of their last eight league games and are not exactly in good form going into matchday 20.
But because FCA have also been in the doldrums away from home, with just one point out of a possible 15 from their last five games, it makes a lot of sense to go for the goals-on-goals bet on Mainz against Augsburg.
