Mainz 05 vs. Wolfsburg preview: 05ers aiming to bounce back at home

With neither side offering consistent inspiration of late, a huge three points is on offer in Mainz this weekend for whichever team dares to seize it. Both arrive desperately in need of a victory to restore confidence as the Bundesliga campaign enters a crucial stage.

Mainz came crashing back down to earth quicker than expected in Köln last time out. Despite Urs Fischer securing his first win in charge just days earlier at home to Heidenheim, the 05ers once again surrendered a lead - this time with fatal consequences. A Ragnar Ache double turned the contest on its head, condemning Mainz to defeat and sending them back into the bottom two in Fischer’s first loss at the helm.

One of Mainz’s biggest issues under both Fischer and his predecessor has been recurring mental lapses at the back, particularly within an ageing defensive unit. These errors have repeatedly proven costly in the latter stages of matches, with Mainz dropping numerous points from winning positions. The club acted during the week by bringing in a younger, yet Bundesliga-proven centre-back in Stefan Posch. The Austrian arrives on loan from Como and is expected to play a key role at the heart of Mainz’s defence in their fight for survival.

Urs Fischer spoke about what Posch brings ahead of the weekend’s fixture:

“Stefan (Posch) has absolute quality, brings experience with him. He knows the Bundesliga and knows what it’s all about. I have the feeling that he’s really up for this task.”

Wolfsburg, meanwhile, have endured a shaky start to Daniel Bauer’s permanent reign, ensuring a tricky beginning to the year continues. A humiliating 8-1 defeat away at Bayern was followed by a home victory over St. Pauli, yet frustrations resurfaced in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with struggling Heidenheim. Despite dominating possession, the Wolves failed to generate sustained attacking threat and were left to settle for a point, leaving them 12th in the table.

With Bauer lamenting a lack of “initiative” from his side, the Wolfsburg hierarchy have responded by moving to bolster the attack, signing Japanese forward Kento Shogai from NEC Nijmegen - a move likely to please the head coach. However, Wolfsburg still possess the second-worst defensive record in the league, and further reinforcements may be required alongside Sael Kumbedi if they are to shore up a leaky back line.

Bauer highlighted the physical test his side will face on Saturday:

“They’re (Mainz) a team whose strengths right now are very clearly in play without the ball, and then they become dangerous in those transitions. At the same time, they will rarely give us the chance to press them, because - like Heidenheim - they also tend to play long balls, trying to get quickly behind our first two pressing lines. They then have two powerful strikers up front, and also guys with pace; they’re strong in second-ball duels.” 

Mainz have won just one of the last eight meetings between the two sides, although Wolfsburg’s most recent victory at the Mewa Arena dates back to May 2022. Urs Fischer and Daniel Bauer will face each other for the first time, though Fischer has managed just three wins from ten previous encounters with Die Wölfe.

Team news 

Mainz 05: Nikolas Veratschnig joins Robin Zentner, Anthony Caci, Philip Mwene and Andreas Hanche-Olsen on the absentee list. Nadiem Amiri and Benedict Hollerbach are expected to be available again after recovering from illness.

Wolfsburg: Joakim Maehle, Rogerio, Bence Dárdai and Jonas Wind are unavailable. Maximilian Arnold is suspended.

Predicted lineups 

Mainz 05 (3-5-2): Batz (GK) - Bell, Potulski, Kohr - Widmer, Sano, Amiri, J-S Lee, Kawasaki - Hollerbach, Tietz 

Wolfsburg (4-2-3-1): Grabara (GK) - Kumbedi, Jenz, Kouleriakis, Zehnter - Eriksen, Gerhardt - Paredes, Majer, Wimmer - Amoura