On March 1, 2025, the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig is set to host the 24th round match of the German Bundesliga, featuring RB Leipzig going up against Mainz. This highly anticipated clash sees Leipzig fighting for their positioning among the top teams, as they continue their pursuit of Champions League qualification.
This week, RB Leipzig showcased their resilience by securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Wolfsburg, which allowed Marco Rose's squad to advance to the semi-finals of the German Cup. The win demonstrated their organized gameplay and determination, two hallmarks of Leipzig's recent performances. Currently positioned sixth on the Bundesliga table, Leipzig finds themselves just one point away from the coveted Champions League spots. With the competition heating up and every match becoming increasingly significant, the stakes could not be higher.
Despite being unbeaten recently, Leipzig's form has been marred by frequent draws, with three of their last four league encounters ending with shared points. This lack of decisive victories has stunted their ascent within the standings, leaving them needing to capitalize on every opportunity moving forward.
Contrarily, Mainz had the luxury of resting last week following their early exit from the German Cup, which positions them at a slight advantage. They currently sit fifth, tied on points with Leipzig at 38, but benefitting from a superior goal difference. Notably, Mainz has shown defensively strong form, not conceding any goals over their last three Bundesliga outings, and winning the past two matches by 2-0 margins.
When analyzing their potential lineups for the match, it’s expected Leipzig will field: Gulacsi, Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum, Baumgartner, Kempel, Seiwald, Simons, Sesko, and Openda. On the other hand, Mainz is likely to start with Centner, Da Costa, Jenz, Kohr, Caci, Sano, Amiri, Mwene, Nebel, Burkardt, and Weiper.
Historically, Leipzig has enjoyed success over Mainz; they have consistently scored goals at home—recording at least one goal in their last 11 home matches—while only failing to net more than one goal twice during this span. Conversely, Mainz has struggled on the road, losing three of their last four away matches. This trend could be pivotal, as Leipzig aims to leverage their home advantage to secure the three points.
The two sides recently met earlier this season, where Leipzig clinched victory with authority, winning the match 2-0 on Mainz's home turf. Since then, Leipzig's form has been consistently admirable at home, and predictions are leaning heavily toward another positive outing.
Considering Leipzig's strong home performance paired with Mainz's inconsistencies on the road, placing a bet on Leipzig for the win at odds of 1.91 appears to be the strategic choice for this fixture.