Mainz vs. Werder Bremen preview: Will either side claim their first win?
Mainz 05
Bo Henriksen may have made an unbeaten start to his first full season as Mainz boss, but his side are still searching for their first league win of the new campaign. Die Nullfünfer kicked off the campaign with an extra-time victory over Wehen Wiesbaden in the DFB-Pokal. Mainz then played out a 1-1 draw against Union Berlin in their league opener, before they showed great character to take a point from their away meeting with Stuttgart.
Mainz fought back from two goals down to level the scoreline at two goals apiece thanks to efforts from Nadiem Amiri and Jonathan Burkardt. Die Nullfünfer thought their hard work would be in vain after they conceded in the 87th minute. However, Maxim Leitsch netted a dramatic 94th-minute equaliser to rescue a valuable point for his side.
If Mainz are to claim their first win of the season on Sunday then they will have to beat Bremen on home soil for the first time since recording a 3-1 win in June 2020.
Team News
Andreas Hanche-Olsen is a doubt after he took a blow in Austria’s UEFA Nations League meeting with Norway.
Werder Bremen
Like their hosts, Bremen have also started the Bundesliga season with back-to-back draws. After beating Energie Cottbus in the Pokal, Bremen went on to play out a 2-2 draw in their Bundesliga opener against Augsburg. Ole Werner’s side then held Borussia Dortmund to a goalless draw in their first home game of the new season.
Bremen have drawn four of their previous five league matches, while they have managed to avoid defeat in each of their last seven top-flight encounters. As a result, they have not tasted defeat in the Bundesliga since suffering a heavy 5-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in April.
Sunday’s visitors may fancy their chances of extending their unbeaten run, having avoided defeat in their last three meetings with Mainz. Bremen will also take confidence from the fact they completed a league double over Mainz last season, recording a 4-0 win in the home encounter before claiming a narrow 1-0 away victory in February.
Team News
The visitors are unable to call upon the services of Milos Veljkovic and Oliver Burke due to foot and muscle injuries respectively.