VfL Bochum, under manager Dieter Hecking, are on the verge of relegation after a challenging 2025 season with only two league wins since late January, yet they draw confidence from avoiding defeat in their last two games before this encounter.

Most recently, Die Unabsteigbaren followed their 1-1 draw with 13th-placed Union Berlin by securing a point away to relegation rivals Heidenheim on May 2, and Hecking will be satisfied with their first clean sheet in nearly three months.

Although Bochum remain at the bottom of the table, that draw has kept them three points behind 17th-placed Holstein Kiel and four points from last week's opponents in the relegation playoff spot.

However, the hosts must outperform the 16th-placed team to avoid relegation this weekend, though with only one win in their last eight home games at Vonovia Ruhrstadion, fans may feel uneasy.

If Bochum secure all three points for just the sixth time this season on Saturday, they could enter the final matchday one point away from the relegation playoff, but a loss would confirm their relegation regardless of other results.

Meanwhile, Mainz, led by Bo Henriksen, have dropped out of the top six after a poor seven-game winless streak, viewing this match against the league's bottom team as a prime chance to regain form.

In their latest outing, Die Nullfunfer fought back to draw 1-1 against Champions League contenders Eintracht Frankfurt in the Rhine-Main derby, though they will regret dropping points after dominating possession and creating more chances.

That result leaves Henriksen's team in seventh place with 48 points, two behind sixth-placed RB Leipzig and three behind fifth-placed Borussia Dortmund, with two games remaining.

Still, with Mainz losing their last three away games—conceding eight goals and scoring only one—they must overcome their poor road form to secure a European spot this weekend.

If Mainz replicate the form that led to wins over RB Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach in March, they could claim a crucial victory to potentially climb to sixth, depending on other results.

Bochum will be without striker Phillip Hofmann due to a rib injury from the Heidenheim game, so Giorgos Masouras is likely to partner with Myron Boadu up front.

At the back, centre-back Ivan Ordets is doubtful with a thigh issue, and if he can't play, Jakov Medic may step in alongside Tim Oermann and Bernardo.

For Mainz, Dominik Kohr is expected to miss out after a knee injury against Frankfurt, so Stefan Bell should feature in defense.

Similarly, Danny Da Costa is dealing with a thigh problem, meaning Silvan Widmer could join Bell and Andreas Hanche-Olsen in the back three.

Elsewhere, Lass Reiss is set to start in goal again as Robin Zentner continues recovering from a muscle injury.

VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:

Horn; Oermann, Ordets, Bernardo; Krauss; Passlack, Sissoko, Bero, Wittek; Masouras, Boadu

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:

Riess; Widmer, Hanche-Olsen, Bell; Caci, Sano, Amiri, Mwene; Nebel, Lee; Burkardt