Die Nullfünfer is only a mere three points ahead of Düsseldorf, who is ranked No. Mainz has only won one of the last ten league meetings between the two Bundesliga teams.

Borussia Dortmund is looking to double over Mainz for a second straight season after topping it earlier this season. Dortmund is expected to be without stars Marco Reus and Thomas Delaney, and their return date is unknown.

As for Mainz, it will be without its starter goalkeeper Robin Zentner as the year-old due to a ruptured cruciate ligament.

Taiwo Awoniyi, a Liverpool winger on loan, is also expected not to be seen on the field Wednesday due to a concussion he suffered this weekend.

Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. For the second year, MLB has announced its All-MLB selections, honoring the best players at each position over the course of the season.

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Antetokounmpo will enter free agency after the season if he does not sign an extension with the Bucks. A trip to Signal Iduna Park is unlikely to be an agreeable tonic.

Mainz is due to face 17th-placed Werder Bremen this weekend. Provided Werder loses to Bayern Munich on Tuesday as expected, victory for Mainz could potentially guarantee its survival.

It would not be a surprise in the slightest were manager Achim Beierlorzer to prioritise that game over this one.

Lucien Favre is coming towards the end of his second season in charge of Dortmund. The Yellow-Blacks were top of the league at the end of more game weeks than Bayern last term, but it was the latter that ultimately got its hands on the title.

Dortmund fell away as the finish line came into sight, losing to Augsburg, Bayern and Schalke, and ultimately finishing two points adrift of first place.

Given that Bayern has a far larger budget and wage bill there would be no great shame in finishing second, yet Favre nevertheless finds his position under threat going into the summer.

Mainz has not moved from 15th position — the final spot in the table that guarantees survival — since matchday 18, the first round of games after the winter break.

After this game and the aforementioned clash with Werder Bremen, Mainz will end the campaign with a tricky trip to Bayer Leverkusen.

Safety is far from assured, then, with recent losses at home to Hoffenheim and Augsburg representing missed opportunities for Mainz to pull clear of the bottom three.

Mainz has kept only three clean sheets all season and has little chance of a fourth on Wednesday. Only the bottom two have conceded more goals than Mainz this term, while only four sides have scored fewer goals.

Dortmund deserves credit for its response to the defeat by Bayern last month that essentially ended its chances of finishing on top of the pile.