Mainz 05's Champions League charge continues on Friday when they travel to Weserstadion to face Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.
Werder Bremen managed to hold Borussia Dortmund to a 2-2 stalemate on January 25, a result that left them in ninth place with 27 points, whereas Mainz have 31 points and are in sixth place following their 2-0 victory against Stuttgart on last Saturday.
Match preview
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The hosts arguably should have done more to claim all three points against Dortmund given they had a player advantage from the 21st minute but trailed 2-0 by the 51st minute and would have lost if not for Marvin Ducksch's 72nd-minute equaliser.
Head coach Ole Werner will be concerned by his side's defensive frailty in recent weeks, with his team having conceded 11 goals in their past four matches.
The Green-Whites have at times struggled to convert their dominance into goalscoring opportunities, as while they only boast the league's joint eighth-best offensive record having scored 33 goals, they have registered the fifth most touches in the opposition's box of any club in the top flight.
Werner's team are winless in their last four games – drawing two and losing two – but they did triumph in their prior four, keeping three clean sheets in that time.
It should be noted that the hosts beat Mainz 2-1 on September 15, with Derrick Kohn netting a 69th-minute winner despite his side having been reduced to 10 men fewer than 10 minutes earlier when the score was 1-1.
Werder Bremen's home record is strong considering they have only been beaten once in their seven most recent fixtures at Weserstadion, achieving three wins and three draws.
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As for the visitors, they created four big chances and faced just one themselves during their victory against Stuttgart.
Boss Bo Henriksen's side currently occupy the Bundesliga's Conference League qualification spot but are one point and two places from the Champions League qualifications spots.
Karnevalsverein's performances this season have been remarkable, with the club's tally of 31 points just four shy of the total they achieved in 2023-24, when they finished 13th.
Henriksen's team have scored 33 goals and conceded on 23 occasions in the top flight this term, and these are the division's joint eighth-best offensive and third-best defensive records.
Though Mainz have been beaten in two of their last three matches, they triumphed in six of their previous seven fixtures.
The visitors' form on the road in recent weeks has been poor given they have lost three of their past four away from home, but they were undefeated in their prior 10, drawing five and winning five.
Team News
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Werder Bremen midfielder Jens Stage has accumulated too many yellow cards and is unavailable, while Felix Agu has been ruled out until the middle of February.
Senne Lynen has often been partnered in a double pivot by Stage, and the absence of the midfielder could mean that Werner selects Leonardo Bittencourt to play instead.
Centre-backs Julian Malatini and Niklas Stark are only likely to miss out on action for a few more days at most, and it would not be surprising if one of the two started in a back three alongside Marco Friedl and Anthony Jung.
Strikers Keke Topp and Ducksch are set to be sidelined until late February, so perhaps Oliver Burke will lead the the hosts' on Friday.
The away side boast a relatively fit roster, though forwards Jonathan Burkardt and Gabriel Vidovic will not be in the matchday squad, and this makes Nelson Weiper a strong candidate to start up front.
Kaishu Sano and Nadiem Amiri have started together in midfield in Mainz's last two outings, and they may do so again against Werder Bremen.
In defence, Danny da Costa is a doubt, so expect Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Stefan Bell and Dominik Kohr to feature in a back three.
Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:
Zetterer; Stark, Friedl, Jung; Weiser, Bittencourt, Lynen, Kohn; Schmid, Grull; Burke
Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:
Zentner; Hanche-Olsen, Bell, Kohr; Caci, Sano, Amiri, Mwene; Nebel, Lee; Weiper
We say: Werder Bremen 1-2 Mainz 05
Mainz could come under pressure from Werder Bremen given the hosts have been strong at home this season.
However, Mainz boast an excellent defensive record, and they may hold out against Werder Bremen for large periods of the game, especially considering the Green-Whites have not always been productive in front of goal.
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Lewis Nolan
