In a match that could affect the race for top-flight survival and European football, Mainz 05 will host Hoffenheim at Mewa Arena on Sunday in their 12th Bundesliga game of the season.
Karnevalsverein are in eighth place with 16 points and beat Holstein Kiel 3-0 on November 24, while the visitors are sixth last in 13th place with 12 points and defeated RB Leipzig 4-3 on November 23.
Match preview
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Mainz are just one point from sixth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach, who occupy the division's Europa Conference League spot, and they are only three points behind Borussia Dortmund, who hold the top flight's Europa League spot.
The hosts were deserving victors against Holstein Kiel considering they produced 18 shots and created nearly 2.5 xG while also limiting their opponents to just seven attempts and less than 0.5 xG.
Manager Bo Henriksen was singled out for praise by midfielder Nadiem Amiri in the aftermath of the win, saying: "He gives us faith. Of course, we play on the pitch, but if you have someone out who gives you that energy, then football becomes easier."
Henriksen's side also overcame Borussia Dortmund 3-1 on November 9 in their previous league outing and have in fact only lost one of their six most recent games in the top flight, drawing twice and winning three times in that period.
Mainz' record on the road has been mixed this term, drawing once and winning once in their past two league matches at Mewa Arena, but they did lose the prior three.
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Opponents Hoffenheim will be thrilled by their win against RB Leipzig given they were able to overcome Die Roten Bullen despite trailing 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2.
Head coach Christian Ilzer said that his debut outing as manager of the German club could not have gone better, telling reporters: "It's a debut that you cannot imagine going better. The team has implemented a lot of what we set out to do. I like the character of the team, this mentality of always coming back after going behind three times and even winning."
However, Die Kraichgauer followed up their Bundesliga victory with a 3-0 defeat against Portuguese side Braga in the Europa League on Thursday, a match in which they trailed 2-0 after eight minutes.
The result left Hoffenheim 25th in the Europa League table and means they are set to be eliminated should they fail to improve their current standing, though they are just one place from the round of 16 playoff spots.
Ilzer's side have struggled for wins in the past weeks, with the club triumphing just once in their last five fixtures, though they have only been beaten once in their six most recent league outings.
The visitors have drawn their last three Bundesliga matches on the road, but they did lose six of the prior seven away top-flight games.
Team News
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Mainz have four injury concerns heading into Sunday's match, including strikers Jonathan Burkardt, Nelson Weiper and Karim Onisiwo, though the latter will make his comeback in the next few days.
Armindo Sieb can be expected to start up front, and he may be supported in attack by Paul Nebel and Jae-sung Lee.
Wide player Gabriel Vidovic is also set to miss out, so perhaps wing-backs Anthony Caci and Phillipp Mwene could start either side of centre-backs Danny da Costa, Stefan Bell and Dominik Kohr.
As for the visitors, they will be without players such as Grischa Promel and Finn Becker, but Anton Stach and Tom Bischof are fit to play and will likely partner each other in the middle of the pitch.
Hoffenheim will not be able to select defenders Ozan Kabak, Christopher Lenz and Florian Grillitsch, and this could lead Ilzer to start a defensive line consisting of Pavel Kaderabek, Stanley Nsoki, Arthur Chaves and Alexander Prass.
Attackers Ihlas Bebou and Marius Bulter are still unavailable, so expect striker Haris Tabakovic to be supported by Adam Hlozek, Andrej Kramaric and Jacob Bruun Larsen.
Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:
Zentner; Da Costa, Bell, Kohr; Caci, Sano, Amiri, Mwene; Nebel, Lee; Sieb
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Kaderabek, Chaves, Nsoki, Prass; Stach, Bischof; Hlozek, Kramariz, Larsen; Tabakovic
We say: Mainz 05 1-1 Hoffenheim
Mainz could start slowly given they may not be familiar with Hoffenheim's style of play under Ilzer, but it is difficult to overlook the visitors' poor record on the road.
While the hosts might not win on Sunday, Hoffenheim proved on Thursday that they are still vulnerable defensively, and it would not be surprising if the spoils were shared at Mewa Arena.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
