Borussia Dortmund vs FSV Mainz 05: Bundesliga Preview, Gameweek 34, 2023

Dortmund picked up a 3-0 win over FC Augsburg on Sunday to move top of the table.

Following Bayern Munich's 3-1 defeat to RB Leipzig last weekend, they are now back in prime position to be champions of Germany once again.

Die Borussen have now won 22 games this season accumulating 70 points along the way.

Now two points clear, Dortmund will not have to worry about the result in Munich on the season's final day, as long as they leave with all three precious points.

The Signal Iduna Park is all set for a carnivalesque atmosphere and the spellbinding "Yellow Wall" will most certainly explode if Dortmund end up victorious at the blow of the final whistle.

Dortmund's supporters cheer for their team prior to their 3-0 win over FC Augsburg (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP)

As for Mainz, well to put it simply, they have nothing else to play for.

There is no threat of relegation for Bo Svensson's side and a recent run of poor form means it is now mathematically impossible for them to qualify for any sort of European competition.

Mainz are bang in the middle of the table at 9th, five points behind Bayer Leverkusen who currently occupy the Europa Conference League spot.

Svensson recently said, "You don't often get the chance to play in a game like this one. We want to enjoy it" and it looks like that is all they will be able to do come Saturday.

In the reverse fixture this season, a 93rd-minute winner from Giovanni Reyna won Edin Terzic's side the game.

A goal that now looks to be of great significance considering the position they are in now.

You have to go back to June 2020, to find the last time Mainz beat Dortmund away from home.

That was only the second time in Bundesliga history that Mainz had traveled to Westfalenstadion and won with Dortmund winning the other nine and drawing five.

Team News

Dortmund

Jude Bellingham is a doubt for Saturday as he continues to struggle with a knee injury that ruled him out of Dortmund's penultimate game of the season.

Sporting director, Sebastian Kehl, said Bellingham did not train with the team on Wednesday but is working very hard to be fit for Saturday.

The Englishman could potentially miss his last game with the German side ahead of his proposed move to Real Madrid.

The club recently announced that captain Mats Hummels had extended his contract until June 30th, 2024.

Matts Hummels signs a new contract with Dortmund. Credit @BlackYellow via Twitter

He came off with a head injury in the last few minutes of their game against Ausburg which is visible in the photo above.

It is likely Nico Schlotterbeck will come in alongside Niklas Sule in the heart of defence for the last game of the season.

There are no new injury concerns for Borussia Dortmund, but Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Mateu Morey, and Thomas Meunier are all sidelined at the moment.

Mainz

Following an accumulation of yellow cards, centre forward Ludovic Ajorque is suspended for the game on Saturday.

Jonathan Burkardt, Alexander Hack, Maxim Leitsch, and Silvan Widmer all remain sidelined.

Predicted Lineups

Dortmund

Kobel; Ryerson, Schlotterbeck, Sule, Wolf; Brandt, Can, Guerreiro; Malen, Adeyemi, Haller.

Mainz

Zentner; Fernandes, Bell, Hanche-Olsen; da Costa, Stach, Barreiro, Martin; Onisiwo, Invartsen, Barkok.

Key Players

Dortmund - Sebastien Haller

The Ivory Coast international has scored back-to-back braces in Dortmund's last two Bundesliga games.

Sebastien Haller celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the match against FC Augsburg (Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Edin Terzic recently said, "We are incredibly proud, it was not an easy year for him and for us. He has made our offensive game better, none of that can be taken for granted. He's shown he can be our hero of the season."

The forward has been out for the majority of the season after being diagnosed with a testicular tumour.

After a remarkable comeback, he now has nine goals in 14 starts.