RB Leipzig vs Mainz Prediction & Betting Tips

This game in the Bundesliga could have an implication for either end of the table based on the result. The hosts RB Leipzig, are chasing down Champions League football and will need to be consistent this weekend against a Mainz side eager to claw back some points to avoid a relegation play-off.

• Mainz to Win @ +650 With FanDuel
• Both Teams to Score @ -134 With FanDuel
• Over 2.5 goals @ -188 With FanDuel

These odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

• Date: 31/3/24
• Kick-off Time: 16:30 pm
• Location: Red Bull Arena

RB Leipzig are hoping to secure another progression into the UEFA Champions League once again and will find solace that they are only a point away from Borussia Dortmund. A win over Mainz at the weekend will almost certainly move Leipzig into the top four because of Borussia Dortmund will be facing Bayern Munich at the Allianz.

The home side were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League this season by 14-time champions Real Madrid. On paper the fixture list does favour RB Leipzig over Borussia Dortmund, with Dortmund travelling to face Leipzig at the end of April.

RB Leipzig are currently in fifth place after 26 games and have accumulated 49 points from a possible 78 available. Leipzig are averaging 1.88 points per game and have a seven-goal advantage over Borussia Dortmund but ultimately one point behind their rivals.

Leipzig are amongst the top scorers in the league at this stage of the season, having scored 60 goals at this stage. On average they score 2.3 goals a game whilst defensively they concede an average of 1.2 goals per game. Essentially this means that for every two goals they do score, they do tend to concede at least one.

In previous meetings between the two sides, it’s surprisingly Mainz who have the better record. The away side have won three from their last five against Leipzig and will be hoping that history favours them on the weekend.

The only meeting between the two sides this season took place in November, which Mainz duly won. Goals from Jae -sung Lee and Leandro Barriero gave Mainz all three points. It is worth noting that Mainz have kept consecutive clean sheets against RB Leipzig – including a 3-0 win at Leipzig in last season’s campaign.

As for the away side, Mainz, they haven’t particular enjoyed a great season on the pitch and his is reflected by the current standings which have them 16th after 26 games. Mainz are six points adrift of 15th placed VFL Bochum and will at this stage face a relegation play-off against a team fighting for promotion in Bundesliga 2.

The visitors will also need to be wary of the fact, they could fall further down the table if results don’t favour them this weekend. FC Koln are only a point behind the visitors to RB Leipzig and if they were to beat Augsburg and Mainz fail to win, they will fall into the bottom two alongside Darmstadt.

Statistically speaking Mainz have the second worst attack in the league at this current stage. Having only scored 22 in 26 games, their goal output averages at 0.8 goals per game and this is worse than Darmstadt’s record who have averaged exactly one goal per game.

Defensively Mainz have ultimately been poor, having conceded 46 goals in 26 games. This means on average they concede 1.7 goals per game – meaning roughly they concede double the number of goals they produce in the attacking areas on average.

RB Leipzig Team News

Lukas Klostermann is ruled out with a hamstring injury. Yussuf Poulsen is also unavailable because of suspension. Further suspension risks also apply to David Raum and Lois Openda.

Mainz Team News

Nelson Weiper and Stefan Bell are both ruled out for Mainz. The away side have up to five suspension risks including Edimilson Fernandes and Jae-sung Lee.

RB Leipzig enter this game on a tremendous run of form in their last five games. Leipzig are on a run of four wins in their last five, with their only defeat coming against Bayern Munich away from home. In that time, they have scored 14 goals, which gives them an average of 2.9 goals scored per game and they look set to continue that against Mainz.

In their last game, their 5-1 victory would have benefitted Mainz. A brace from Lois Openda and goals from Xavi Simons, Amadou Haidara and Yussuf Poulsen gave them a comprehensive victory.

The last home game provided another comfortable win over Mainz’s relegation rivals in Darmstadt. A 2-0 win thanks to goals from Christophe Buamgartner and an own goal from Thomas Isherwood secured all three points.

After losing back-to-back home games against Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen, Leipzig are on a three-match unbeaten run at the Red Bull Arena.

Lois Openda has been brilliant since his arrival from RC Lens in the summer. The Belgian international, who scored 21 times in Ligue 1 last season, leads the way in goal contributions this season for the home side. 23 G/A in 26 games gives Openda a contribution of 0.88 per game in both goals and assists.

As for the away side, they will need to being any confidence they obtained from their 2-0 win over VFL Bochum. Mainz secured all three points thanks to a brace from Jonathan Burkardt. The brace for Burkardt doubled his league tally from two to four in that game before the international break.

Their previous away game would have one to forget for the Mainz faithful. A damaging 8-1 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich meant that Mainz had conceded more goals in that singular game than they had in the previous four games.

The away record for Mainz needs to drastically change in a more positive note. Mainz have failed to win any of their away fixtures this season in the league. In fact, their previous away win was coincidentally against RB Leipzig last season in that 3-0 win.

RB Leipzig will know that a win here could see them leapfrog Borussia Dortmund into the final Champions League space and will be keen to face an opponent that is 30 points worse off than themselves in Mainz. We predict RB Leipzig 3-1 Mainz

RB Leipzig vs Mainz will be available to watch on the Peacock Network (An NBC live-streaming Platform)