The Bundesliga returns from a three-week festive break. The first half of the season has not yet been completed, so it is still too early to state that Mainz 05 are the worst team of the opening part of the campaign.
Union Berlin
Union Berlin will definitely not finish bottom, and even over the next two rounds they will not drop into the relegation play-off zone. They are much closer to the European places. They are only two positions away from a place leading to the UEFA Conference League, although they are still five points short of it. But the team have done well. After two defeats in a row, they regrouped and ended the year strongly: victories over RB Leipzig at home (3:1) and Köln away (1:0). The first win is particularly valuable, against RB Leipzig, who were second in the Bundesliga at the time.
Mainz 05
Under the guidance of Urs Fischer, who only took charge of the team on 7 December, Mainz 05 have slowly started to pick up points. They also caused Bayern Munich problems, forcing them to come from behind (2:2), and in a relegation six-pointer at home they could not beat St. Pauli (0:0). However, the squad have retained a place in the top eight of the overall stage of the UEFA Conference League and are now exempt from the play-off round. This is very important in the context of their fight for survival in the Bundesliga: they are still four points short even of the relegation play-off place.
Union Berlin vs Mainz 05 Prediction
Beating Union Berlin away appears highly unlikely, because in eight head-to-head meetings the hosts have always taken points (five wins and three draws). We have almost no doubt about another win for them, so we opt for backing Union Berlin Draw No Bet.
