Dortmund are coming off their first loss of the season, a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich. Mainz won last season's meeting at home, 2-0. It was Mainz's only win in the last 10 matchups between the two teams, of which Dortmund have won eight. Mainz won the corresponding fixture last year, 2-0. Hofmann and Okazaki won't help them this time, however. DANIEL ROLAND/Getty ImagesDate: Friday, October 16Time: 7:30 p. m. BST / 2:30 p.
The former Germany under-21 international has exploded under the tutelage of Mainz head coach Martin Schmidt. His close control and elegance on the ball are a sight to behold. He has a hand in almost every attack and will be a handful for Dortmund's defence. For Borussia, Marco Reus will be under a lot of scrutiny. He's struggling for form, as was evident on international duty. In Germany's 2-1 win over Georgia on Sunday, he could have scored a hat-trick in the first half alone. Reus was left out of Dortmund's side to start the game at Bayern. The 26-year-old needs to start producing if he wants to keep his regular spot in the starting XI.
Summer signing Fabian Frei will be the only regular starter missing. He's been capably replaced by Danny Latza so far. Kicker reported that Chile international Gonzalo Jara only returned from international duty on Thursday, which makes a start for Pierre Bengtsson at left-back likely. Offensively, there are some questions regarding the starter on the right wing. Christian Clemens would be the more defensive option compared to Jairo Samperio. DortmundBurki; Ginter, Papastathopoulos, Hummels, Park; Weigl; Reus, Gundogan, Kagawa, Mkhitaryan; Aubameyang.
Schmelzer's likely replacement, Park Joo-ho. NORBERT SCHMIDT/Getty ImagesMarcel Schmelzer is likely to miss the game with his strained thigh muscle. His replacement should be Park Joo-ho, who left Mainz for Dortmund this summer. Lukasz Piszczek replaced Schmelzer against Bayern, but he didn't play well. The Pole impressed on international duty, however, and could be preferred to Matthias Ginter at right-back. Marco Reus started twice for Germany and should return to the starting XI. Players to WatchMalli scored in the last meeting between the two sides. PATRIK STOLLARZ/Getty ImagesMainz's Yunus Malli is the Bundesliga's most prolific goalscoring midfielder with 12 goals in 2015. His six this season account for half of all the goals Mainz have produced.
ET / 8:30 p. local timeVenue: Coface Arena, MainzTV Info: Fox Sports 1 (U. S. only), BT Sport Europe (UK only)Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2Go (U. only)Form GuideMainzDortmundSchalke: LossLeverkusen: WinHoffenheim: WinHoffenheim: DrawLeverkusen: LossDarmstadt: DrawMunich: LossSalonika: DrawDarmstadt: WinMunich: LossPredicted LineupsMainzKarius; Brosinski, Bungert, Bell, Bengtsson; Baumgartlinger, Latza; Clemens, Malli, De Blasis; Muto.
Mainz vs. Borussia Dortmund: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV InfoPATRIK STOLLARZ/Getty ImagesBorussia Dortmund visit Mainz 05 on Bundesliga Matchday 9 on Friday in their first match after the international break. Mainz sit eighth in the Bundesliga table. With four wins and four losses, their start to the season has been balanced. A goal difference of 12 scored and 11 conceded adds to that impression. They've struggled against the Bundesliga's big guns, having lost at Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen and at home to Bayern Munich.
Form and head to head stats Mainz vs B Dortmund - Sky Sports
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