The debates about the competitiveness of the Bundesliga, as far as the title race is concerned, are raging on but Bayern are not concerned. They are already the Winter/Autumn (depending on where you live) Champions and have a healthy 11 point lead at the top over nearest rivals VfL Wolfsburg. Also, Bastian Schweinsteiger is back; he has not even lost a step judging by his performances so far. Manuel Neuer continues to be in the form of his life, having conceded only three goals in the league to date.
With Dortmund out of the picture (BVB are busy battling relegation) as far as the title race is concerned, Bayern have little to worry about. Schalke have picked up many points following the hiring of Roberto Di Matteo but lost too many at the beginning of the season; their challenge is mainly centered on the Champions League spots. Leverkusen's unpredictability as well as that of Borussia M'gladbach renders their challenges as nothing more than symbolic as well.
Mainz, with 18 points to their name, are not in the relegation spots but are not where they would like to be either. They are a prime example of how to run a football club. Despite having much less than clubs like Hamburg, they manage to challenge for the Europa League spots year in year out. Without Thomas Tuchel though, things do not feel exactly the same. Mainz can challenge Bayern however; they have troubled Bayern in recent times. Bayern are in scintillating form at the moment unfortunately for Mainz.
Arjen Robben's goal against Freiburg, the deadlock breaker in that match, was his 100th for Bayern and simply majestic. Bayern won that match 2-0; Thomas Müller added a second for good measure. Bayern thanked the fans with a large banner and a light show as they rounded off yet another year memorably at the Allianz Arena. A win against Mainz means they will go into the break with at least an 11 point lead. Pep Guardiola might throw in a few surprises in this match considering youngsters Gianluca Gaudino and Lucas Scholl have been included in the squad.
Interested in learning how you can watch the 2014-15 Bundesliga? Check out our Bundesliga Multi-Platform Broadcast Guide.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
