Mainz 05 vs. VfB Stuttgart preview: 05ers looking to maintain strong home form

Urs Fischer’s Mainz will be aiming to return to winning ways on home soil, where they have enjoyed much of their recent success. However, it will be no easy task as Sebastian Hoeneß’ Stuttgart side arrive chasing Champions League qualification.

Mainz 05 

Mainz’s resurgence under Urs Fischer has stalled slightly in recent weeks, with the 05ers winless in their last three fixtures. Aside from a heavy defeat in Dortmund, performances have remained encouraging, and the hosts will believe they can spring a surprise as they sit 14th in the table, just one point above the relegation play-off place.

They suffered a particularly frustrating setback last time out in their 1-1 draw away to Leverkusen. Sheraldo Becker put Fischer’s side ahead in the 67th minute, and Mainz looked set to leave the BayArena with all three points after a resolute defensive display. However, Jarell Quansah struck in the 88th minute to rescue a point for the hosts, allowing Werder Bremen and St. Pauli to close the gap following their respective victories.

January signing Silas is set to face his former club for the first time and is hoping the sold-out Mewa Arena can provide a crucial boost.

“Everything is a little easier at home with the fans behind us. We know we have to push ourselves to the limit and beyond, but we also know that we’ll always have the fans supporting us.”

Mainz will take confidence from their recent home form, having gone unbeaten in their last five Bundesliga matches at the Mewa Arena, winning three of those.

VfB Stuttgart 

Stuttgart are hitting form at a crucial stage in the fiercely competitive race for the top four. Hoeneß’s side have lost just one of their last five Bundesliga fixtures and currently occupy fourth place, level on points with Hoffenheim in third. Another victory this weekend could see them leapfrog their direct rivals.

Die Schwaben were at their devastating best last weekend against relegation-threatened Wolfsburg. Goals from Deniz Undav, Nikolas Nartey and a Jamie Leweling brace secured a comfortable 4-0 victory while piling further misery on their opponents.

“It’s never been easy in Mainz, and this time it’s definitely going to be a tougher task with them being in such good form,” Hoeneß said ahead of the match.

On the positive side for Stuttgart, the head coach now has nearly all of his attacking options fit and firing.

“The boys are showing good energy and that opens up a lot of different options. There’s plenty of healthy competition and that’s exactly what you need when you’re playing as many matches as we are at the moment.”

Much like Mainz’s strong home form, Stuttgart can also take confidence from their away performances. They have lost just one of their last five Bundesliga matches on the road and only one of their last 11 league fixtures overall.

H-2-H record 

Stuttgart will draw confidence from their record against Mainz this season, having already won both competitive meetings between the sides. Deniz Undav secured a 2-1 victory in the league in round eight before Luca Jaquez and Atakan Karazor scored in a 2-0 DFB-Pokal win just three days later.

Historically, Urs Fischer has won three of his 10 meetings with Stuttgart, while Hoeneß has won five of his 11 encounters with Mainz. The two coaches have faced each other six times, recording two wins apiece alongside two draws.

Team news

Mainz 05: Nadiem Amiri, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Benedict Hollerbach, Sota Kawasaki and Robin Zentner remain sidelined. Nikolas Veratschnig is expected to return.

VfB Stuttgart: Joshua Vagnoman and Lazar Jovanovic remain unavailable through injury, while Bilal El Khannouss is suspended after accumulating five yellow cards. Jeff Chabot has returned to fitness but could be rested with Stuttgart’s midweek European clash against Porto in mind.

Predicted lineups

Mainz 05 (3-5-2): Batz (GK) - Kohr, Posch, Potulski - Widmer, Nebel, Sano, J-S Lee, Mwene - Becker, Tietz 

VfB Stuttgart (4-2-3-1): Nübel (GK) - Assignon, Jeltsch, Hendriks, Mittelstädt - Andrés, Stiller - Leweling, Undav, Führich - Demirović