Mainz vs. Wolfsburg preview: Can Wolfsburg go seven games without a defeat?
Wolfsburg haven't lost a match in their last six competitive outings, as they travel to Mainz, who need a rebound after suffering a brutal loss to Bayern the last time out.
| Niko Kovac. | Photo: Sven Mandel / CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
Mainz 05
Mainz destroyed Köln 5-0 on Matchday 11, but were given a reality check by Bayern Munich this past weekend. Still, Bo Svensson's side find themselves right in the thick of things with just three games left to play in the calendar year.
Marcus Ingvartsen has dazzled in the last month, scoring in five straight matches. Karim Onisiwo's physicality has also stood out, but strike partner Jonathan Burkardt is still searching for his first goal of the campaign.
Svensson said, "Jonny missed the penalty against Bayern and had a goal disallowed against Köln. What's important is that he deals with these setbacks. My faith in him hasn't decreased one bit."
Team News
Marlon Mustapha and Maxim Leitsch are the only two Mainz players not available.
VfL Wolfsburg
After a head-scratching start to the season, Wolfsburg and Niko Kovac look to be finally turning things around. The company club last lost a competitive game to Union Berlin back in mid-September and destroyed Bochum on Matchday 12.
Felix Nmecha is beginning to step up his play, as he joins a decent list of young attacking options that includes his brother, Lukas. Jonas Wind is back from injury, while Yannick Gerhardt and Jakub Kaminski have really impressed up front.
Center defense is an area of the pitch that management will likely address in the winter window, but they'll worry about solutions in a few weeks. Wolfsburg really need three points to climb further and further away from the dangerous relegation zone.
Kovac said, "The team has developed further. Even if not everything has yet been internalized, there is always constant progress. You can see that the automatisms are now taking effect, both with and without a ball."
Team News
Kevin Paredes and Bartol Franjic are out for the rest of 2022, while Max Kruse is still not a part of the squad.