Borussia Dortmund vs Mainz prediction 13.02.2026 | Bundesliga

After having problems securing top-four status last season, Borussia Dortmund stepped up in the current campaign. They are six points behind the Bundesliga leader, Bayern Munich. While winning their first title since 2012 could be unrealistic, Borussia Dortmund at least shouldn't fear securing another Champions League appearance. Niko Kovac's team won the last five league matches in a row. In the previous game, they won 2-1 on the road against Wolfsburg. That was another example of how football can be a cruel sport, as the hosts probably deserved one point.

Borussia Dortmund's head coach, Niko Kovac, spoke about why his team wasn't at its best in the second half against Wolfsburg. He said, "We slowed the game down, we lost possession too easily, and our opponents switched gears immediately after winning the ball. This gave Wolfsburg a lot of great chances. My team then showed their mentality and still managed to win the game thanks to their quality and a bit of luck."

Nico Schlotterbeck received his fifth yellow card in the previous league round, and he will not play on Friday night against Mainz. Schlotterbeck will join already sidelined Marcel Sabitzer, Filippo Mane, Yan Couto, Emre Can, and Karim Adeyemi.

After an excellent last season, Mainz completely disappointed in the current campaign. They are only two points above the relegation playoff zone. However, the last few weeks were encouraging for Mainz, as they won the last three matches. Last weekend, Urs Fischer won 2-0 at home against Augsburg. The hosts finished with xG of 2.41, while the guests had only 0.70, so Mainz's victory was well-deserved. 

Only a few weeks ago, Mainz looked like one of the least effective attacking sides in the Bundesliga. That changed quickly as Fischer's team scored 12 goals in six matches since the winter break. If this upward trend continues, they could soon turn a tense survival battle into a far more comfortable mid-table. 

Mainz have big problems with missing players, too. They will be without Robin Zentner, Armindo Sieb, Maxim Leitsch, Sota Kawasaki, Benedict Hollerbach, Maxim Dal, and Anthony Caci.