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Bayern's Robert Lewandowski, center, and Mainz's Pablo de Blasis, right, challenge for the ball during a German Bundesliga soccer match between FSV Mainz 05 and Bayern Munich in Mainz, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Bayern's Robert Lewandowski, center, and Mainz's Pablo de Blasis, right, challenge for the ball during a German Bundesliga soccer match between FSV Mainz 05 and Bayern Munich in Mainz, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)Michael Probst/Associated Press

Bayern Munich vs. FSV Mainz: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info

Clark WhitneyFeb 29, 2016

Uli Hoeness will watch his first Bayern Munich match as a free man in nearly two years on Wednesday as Bayern Munich host Mainz in Matchday 24 of the Bundesliga.

The former president was given an early release from prison on Monday, having served half of his three-and-a-half-year sentence for tax evasion (h/t Reuters via the Guardian).

Hoeness will find his team in good form, having won their last three Bundesliga games. Their lead atop the table stands at eight points, with the Bavarian giants having taken 62 from 23 games thus far.

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Captain Philipp Lahm hailed Bayern's win over Wolfsburg on Saturday as "crucial" in a "decisive" week in which the Bavarians will play three Bundesliga games (via the official Bayern website), while Pep Guardiola labeled the spell "one of the most important weeks of the season." 

Bayern will take on Mainz, fresh off an impressive 3-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. Martin Schmidt's men were dominant in their most recent fixture and are on a positive streak of their own, having won four of their last five games.

Mainz's form has been enough to see them creep into fifth place in the table, leapfrogging Leverkusen, Schalke and Wolfsburg on their way to a points tie with Borussia Monchengladbach for the Bundesliga's fourth UEFA Champions League spot. They face a big challenge in Bayern, but on the other hand, they'll have earned the right to be contenders for Europe's most prestigious club tournament should they beat a Bayern side that still stand in contention for this year's trophy.

Date: Wednesday, March 2

Time: 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET/8 p.m. local time

Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich

TV Info: Fox Soccer 1 (U.S. only), BT Sport Europe (UK only)

Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S. only), BT Sport (UK only)

Form Guide

Bayern Munich Mainz
Wolfsburg: Win Leverkusen: Win
Juventus: Draw Hoffenheim: Loss
Darmstadt: Win Schalke: Win
Augsburg: Win Hannover: Win
Bochum: Win Monchengladbach: Win 

Team News

Bayern Munich

Holger Badstuber, Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez are the only Bayern players nursing injuries at the moment. Pep Guardiola may use rotation ahead of this weekend's trip to Dortmund.

Possible Bayern starting XI: Neuer; Lahm, Kimmich, Alaba, Bernat; Alonso; Coman, Muller, Gotze, Ribery; Lewandowski.

Mainz

Stefan Bell, Pierre Bengtsson, Elkin Soto, Yoshinori Muto, Karim Onisiwo, Emil Berggreen and Philipp Klement are all sidelined for the visitors with various injuries.

Possible Mainz starting XI: Karius; Donati, Balogun, Bungert, Bussmann; Baumgartlinger, Latza; Clemens, Malli, Samperio; Cordoba.

Players to Watch

For Bayern, Medhi Benatia, Mario Gotze and Franck Ribery will be keen to make an impression, even if only from the bench, ahead of the club's Champions League run-in with Juventus. There will be a bit of extra pressure on Douglas Costa and Arjen Robben, who will be looking to get back on target after struggling for much of January and February.

For Mainz, Yunus Malli is the key playmaker and with little question the best player in the squad. Jhon Cordoba has experienced positive development as of late, though, and his strength and quickness could be problematic for the Bayern defense.

Key Battles

Thomas Muller vs. Yunus Malli

Muller has arguably been Bayern's best player all season long, scoring and assisting apparently with ease. Bayern may be suffering from a bit of fatigue in midweek, but Muller is a great athlete with outstanding stamina and a knack for scoring vital goals. He could make all the difference.

A hat-trick against Hoffenheim last fall saw Malli emerge as a star of the Bundesliga, and he was one of the most impressive players of the first round. After a bit of a cold spell to start 2016, he roared back into form with a brace against Leverkusen on Sunday. If Mainz are to take a point or more from Bayern, they'll probably need a big performance from their star playmaker.

Robert Lewandowski vs. Loris Karius

If Muller isn't the match-winner for Bayern, odds are that Lewandowski will be. The Polish striker can't stop scoring, it seems; his tally of 33 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions is phenomenal. And having played a direct role in 12 of Bayern's last 17 goals, odds are good that if Bayern score, he'll have a hand in it.

Mainz aren't known for their outstanding defense, but they do have a fantastic shot-stopper between the posts in Karius. The 22-year-old is one of the most coveted goalkeepers in Germany and will be relishing the chance to prove himself against Bayern's superstars.

Odds (courtesy of Odds Shark)

Bayern: 100-667

Draw: 7-1

Mainz: 18-1

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