Our prediction for this Bundesliga match:
After surviving Augsburg in their first game of the year, Borussia Dortmund will look to give fans yet another reason for celebration when they take on Mainz in the Bundesliga round 17. The Yellow-Blacks aim to keep their title hopes alive, and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play. Simon Haller, who made his return from a serious illness at the weekend, is pushing for a start, as well as Giovanni Reyna, while key midfielder Jude Bellingham is banned for the match.
Marco Reus is a major doubt. Die Nullfunfer, on the other hand, head into the midweek game following a 1-1 draw with Stuttgart. Since Mainz are tough to beat at home, we predict that they are going to hold the Bellingham-less Dortmund to a draw. Defender Stefan Bell is back from suspension, speaking of the home side.
Highlighted Player (Silvan Widmer):
Silvan Widmer was born in Aarau, Switzerland on 5 March, 1993 and, as expected, he began his senior career at his home-town club Aarau. He made nine appearances for the reserve team in the 2010/2011 campaign and he played for the first team between 2011 and 2013, scoring 11 goals in 65 league appearances for the club.
The pacey right back, who is capable of playing as a right midfielder and a left back, signed a deal with Udinese in the summer of 2012, but he remained at Aarau until 2013. Silvan Widmer has 15 caps for Switzerland U21 team and he played for the U 19 side in the past as well, scoring three goals in eight appearances for the team.
He made his debut for the senior team on 31 March, 2015, in a 1-1 draw with USA in Zurich. Widmer came as a substitute to replace fellow Serie A footballer Lichtsteiner after 46 minutes. His contract with Udinese expires on 30 June, 2020.
Highlighted Team (Borussia Dortmund):
1909 by eighteen footballers from Dortmund. Die Schwarzgelben (The Black and Yellows) play their home games at Signal Iduna Park, but the stadium’s original name is Westfalenstadion. The capacity of Borussia’s home ground is 81,539 and it has to be noted that the stadium was opened in 1974. BVB have the highest average attendance in the world of football.
Borussia Dortmund have won eight Bundesliga trophies, while clinching the German Cup title three times.
However, the club’s biggest success came in 1997 when they outplayed Juventus in the Champions League final. Karl-Heinz Riedle scored a brace for BVB in the 3-1 win over Juve, with Lars Ricken finding the net in the title game as well. Borussia’s biggest rivals are Schalke 04 and the two teams square off against each other in the Revierderby.