The Matchday Preview

All season long premium subscribers will receive exclusive previews for the upcoming round of Bundesliga fixtures. Today, game week 23 kicks off!

All season-long premium subscribers will receive exclusive previews for the upcoming round of Bundesliga fixtures. Today, game week 23 kicks off! FC Bayern must beat RB Leipzig to shatter their turbulent run of form, and there are countless other exciting encounters to keep you entertained throughout the entire weekend.

Bayer Leverkusen v Mainz 05 

Die Werkself made it 32 unbeaten matches in a row over the weekend with a hard-fought 2:1 result over FC Heidenheim. 

On paper, the result doesn’t look like much, but in reality, it is a huge result in a venue few have taken anything tangible from this season. FC Heidenheim entered Saturday’s matchup having taken points from their previous 8 league encounters, while the Voith-Arena had become a bit of a fortress where no side in the top half of the table had managed to win all season. 

Mainz 05, on the other hand, celebrated their first victory since the 4th of November in manager Bo Henriksen’s Bundesliga debut. Mainz brought confidence and fire to the pitch that mirrored their Danish manager’s emotionality. It all paid off after centerback Sepp van den Berg capitalized on a goalkeeping error in the 44th minute. 

The victory leaves Mainz just a point behind FC Köln in the playoff spot, but history shows that it is too early to speak of a turnaround. Bo’s predecessor - Jan Siewert - also won his first match in the dugout, but rather than spark a rise up the table, Mainz failed to win any of the following 11 matches up until his sacking on the 12th of February. 

Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen Win 

Union Berlin v FC Heidenheim 

Union Berlin continued their resounding rise under Nenad Bjelica with a 1:0 win in Hoffenheim.