Mainz 05 vs. Augsburg preview: Bo Henriksen makes his Bundesliga bow
Bo Henriksen will take charge of his first game as Mainz 05 head coach when his side play host to Augsburg in Saturday's Bundesliga fixture.
Mainz 05
Mainz opted to dismiss Jan Siewart following last Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Stuttgart. Siewart began his tenure with a win over RB Leipzig, but he failed to win any of his next 11 league games, causing Mainz to opt for a change in coach. Die Nullfünfer decided to turn to Bo Henriksen, who left his position as Zurich manager to take up the role as Mainz boss.
Henriksen has taken over a side that are currently languishing in the bottom two with four points separating them from the relegation playoff spot, while they are also nine points adrift of safety altogether. The new coach will be tasked with helping his side discover a cutting edge in the final third, with Mainz currently the league’s second-lowest scorers after registering just 16 goals in 21 matches.
They can at least take confidence from the fact they have won their last two home games against Augsburg, including a 3-1 win in last season’s home meeting.
Team News
The hosts are unable to call upon Stefan Bell, Nelson Weiper, Maxim Leitsch, Karim Onisiwo and Phillipp Mwene. Meanwhile, there are doubts surrounding the availability of Robin Zentner, Silvan Widmer and Jonathan Burkardt.
Augsburg
Augsburg have found wins to come by in recent times, having seen just one of their last eight league games produce a victory. Their sole win in that period took place in their away meeting with Borussia Mönchengladbach last month. Since that result, Augsburg have gone on to lose to Bayern Munich, before playing out consecutive draws against Bochum and RB Leipzig.
Phillip Tietz gave his side the lead against RB Leipzig, only to see Marco Rose’s side find the net either side of half time to turn the game in their favour. However, Ermedin Demirović restored parity on the hour mark, before Finn Dahmen denied Loïs Openda from the penalty spot to ensure the contest finished all square.
Having collected 23 points this season, Augsburg are sitting in 11th place and seven points clear of the bottom three. While they may enjoy a sizeable cushion to the drop zone, the Fuggerstädter will still be keen to improve defensively after failing to keep a clean sheet in any of their 21 league matches this term.
They recorded their most recent top-flight clean sheet in a home meeting with Union Berlin in May last year. However, they have failed to record a shutout in any of their 24 away Bundesliga games since picking up a 1-0 win over Wolfsburg in September 2022.
Team News
Augsburg are without Dion Drena Beljo, Reece Oxford and Raphael Framberger, while Fredrik Jensen is a doubt for Saturday’s contest.