Bundesliga Matchday 32: Champions Bayern travel to Mainz

Tom Hancock
LiveScore
  
Serge Gnabry celebrates scoring the opener in last weekend’s title-clinching victory over Borussia Dortmund
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With yet another Bundesliga title in the bag, Bayern Munich will be in jubilant mood as they head to Mainz on Matchday 32.

There is still plenty to play for elsewhere, though, with Borussia Dortmund looking to clinch second place when they welcome Bochum to Signal Iduna Park.

As for matters at the bottom of the table, Arminia Bielefeld host Hertha Berlin in a game which could have significant implications for both sides in the fight to stay up.

Game of the week: Mainz vs Bayern Munich (Saturday, 2.30pm)

Having been crowned champions for the 10th season running last weekend, Bayern face Mainz aiming to surpass last season's total of 24 victories.

The hosts went down 5-0 at Wolfsburg last time out — conceding all five in the first half — and are now winless in five matches for the first time under Bo Svensson.

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Bayern have scored an impressive 92 goals this season — and while reaching 100 with three games to go might be a squeeze, they will equal their own record for the most away strikes in a Bundesliga campaign (47) should they score at the Mewa Arena.

Mainz have struck first in each of their last three encounters with the visitors, although they have gone on to lose two of those. That is something no other current Bundesliga team has managed.

One of those losses was December's reverse fixture, which Bayern won 2-1 thanks to goals from Kingsley Coman and Jamal Musiala.

Youngster Jamal Musiala has five league goals and five assists for Bayern Munich this term

Here are the other big games to watch this weekend…

Borussia Dortmund vs Bochum (Saturday, 2.30pm)

Victory for Dortmund will secure a sixth second-place finish in 10 seasons — and their third in the last four.

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They ought to be confident of picking up all three points against a Bochum side who have lost four of their last six and failed to find the net in three successive outings.

Only Bayern have scored more goals this season than the 77 notched by BVB, whose conversion rate of 24% is the highest in the division.

On the other hand, Bochum go into this match with a league-low conversion rate of 10% and having bagged fewer goals (30) than all bar Arminia Bielefeld and Greuther Furth, the league's bottom two teams.

It finished all square between these sides earlier in the campaign, with Julian Brandt's late equaliser for the Black and Yellows cancelling out Sebastian Polter's first-half penalty.

Arminia Bielefeld vs Hertha Berlin (Saturday, 2.30pm)

Second-bottom Arminia Bielefeld could climb into the relegation play-off spot by beating fellow strugglers Hertha Berlin. 

But they enter this game on a torrid run of form having taken a solitary point from the last 24 on offer.

Hertha, on the other hand, have won three out of five matches since Felix Magath took over as manager after recording just two victories in their previous 17 outings.

It is perhaps no surprise that Arminia have been struggling so badly of late given they have scored just three goals in their last 10 games, which is fewer than any other team in Europe's top five leagues.

Victory for Hertha would mean that they cannot be relegated automatically, while a win in addition to Stuttgart losing to Wolfsburg would confirm their top-flight survival.

Hertha won 2-0 when these two faced off in December, with Stevan Jovetic and Davie Selke getting on the scoresheet.

Hertha Berlin will be hoping for a repeat of their last meeting with Arminia Bielefeld

Hoffenheim vs Freiburg (Saturday, 5.30pm)

Now without a win in six games, Hoffenheim will be desperate for three points as they look to keep their hopes of qualifying for Europe alive.

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But the visitors know that a victory could take them into the top four — and they head to the PreZero Arena in decent shape, having won five and lost only one of their last 10 matches.

The hosts go into this contest on a run of three home outings without a win and not since February 2019 have they gone longer without triumphing on home soil.

Freiburg's best route to goal may prove to be the aerial one. The Breisgau Brazilians have scored a league-high 15 headed goals this season, while Hoffenheim have conceded 23% of their goals from headers — the most in the division.

Speaking of headers, Hoffenheim dramatically won the reverse fixture 2-1 as Chris Richards popped up with one in the 94th minute.

Bayer Leverkusen vs Eintracht Frankfurt (Monday, 7.30pm)

Patrik Schick scored his 21st Bundesliga goal of the season against Greuther Furth last Saturday

A win on Monday would put Bayer Leverkusen within touching distance of Champions League qualification.

And Gerardo Seoane's men will be buoyed by the fact that the home side has won each of the last eight meetings between these teams.

Eintracht head to the BayArena winless in five — they have not gone longer without picking up three points since failing to win any of their first six matches this season.

In beating Greuther Furth 4-1 last time out, Leverkusen scored four or more goals in a game for the eighth time this term. Do so again and they will equal their single-campaign record of nine times from the 2001-02 season.

This will be Eintracht boss Oliver Glasner's 100th Bundesliga match as a coach — only three other Austrian managers boast a higher points per game average than his 1.52.

There were goals aplenty when these two teams met earlier in the season as Eintracht came from 2-0 down to run out 5-2 winners.

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The weekend's other games

Union Berlin vs Greuther Furth (Friday, 7.30pm

Augsburg vs Koln (Saturday, 2.30pm

Stuttgart vs Wolfsburg (Saturday, 2.30pm

Borussia Monchengladbach vs RB Leipzig (Monday, 7.30pm)

Follow each game with our unbeatable live scores service. Simply tap the Scores tab on the web or download the LiveScore app from the App Store for iOS devices or Google Play for Android.

Tags

1. BundesligaMainz 05Bayern MunichBorussia DortmundBochumArminia BielefeldHertha BerlinHoffenheimFreiburgBayer LeverkusenEintracht Frankfurt

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