SOCCER PREVIEW

MANNHEIM, Germany (Interstat) — VfR Mannheim hosts SSV Reutlingen 05 in an Oberliga Baden-Württemberg matchup Saturday at 3 p.m. local time, with both sides jockeying for position in the closing weeks of the season.

Mannheim (13-8-9) enters the game riding a surge. The club has won four of its last five matches, including a 4-1 victory Sunday at Turkischer Singen. That result followed a 2-0 home win over Karlsruher on April 18 and a 2-1 victory at Essingen on April 4. Mannheim’s only blemish in that stretch was a 1-1 draw April 15 at Ravensburg. The team has scored 13 goals in those five games.

Reutlingen (6-16-8) arrives in a slump. The visitors have lost two straight, most recently a 1-0 defeat at home Sunday against VfR Aalen. That result ended a three-match losing streak in which Reutlingen managed only two goals. The club has one win — a 3-0 decision over Denzlingen on March 14 — in its last 10 outings.

Saturday’s matchup is the second meeting between the clubs this season. Mannheim won the first encounter 2-1 on Sept. 27, 2025.

Mannheim’s offense has been powered by a balanced attack. The club scored six goals in a March 7 win over FSV 08 Bietigheim-Bissingen and has tallied multiple goals in eight of its last 12 matches.

Reutlingen has struggled offensively, recording a shutout in four of its last six games. The defense has kept the club in matches, however. Reutlingen has allowed more than one goal only once in its last nine outings — a 3-2 loss Nov. 29 to Turk Neckarsulm.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 1-1 draw.

Mannheim can climb into the top five in the league table with a victory and results elsewhere. Reutlingen is fighting to distance itself from the relegation zone.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at VfR Mannheim Stadion.