Freiburg vs. Mainz 05 preview: Freiburg look to steady the ship against struggling Nullfünfer

Freiburg and Mainz meet at Europa-Park Stadion on Sunday evening, with both clubs attempting to navigate the demands of European football amid worrying domestic form.

Freiburg

Freiburg returned from the international break with mixed fortunes. A heavy 6-2 defeat away at Bayern Munich exposed defensive fragilities, especially after racing into a surprising 2-0 lead at the Allianz Arena. 

That result was followed by a frustrating 0-0 draw with Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Despite their league struggles, Julian Schuster’s men can take confidence from their six-match unbeaten home run, and they remain a far more cohesive outfit at the Europa-Park Stadion.

Team News

Injuries are beginning to pile up for Freiburg. Eren Dinkci, Jordy Makengo, and Max Rosenfelder all missed Thursday’s European tie with muscle problems. 

On a positive note, long-term absentee Daniel-Kofi Kyereh is edging closer to a long-awaited return after nearly three years out.

Predicted lineup – 4-2-3-1: Atubolu – Treu, Ginter, Lienhart, Günter – Eggestein, Osterhage – Beste, Manzambi, Grifo – Höler

Mainz 05

Mainz continue to endure a nightmare Bundesliga campaign. Bo Henriksen’s side have lost five of their last seven league games and have not won domestically since a 4-1 victory over Augsburg in September.

Their European form has offered some respite, with three wins in their last four in the Europa Conference League, though Thursday’s 1-0 defeat away to Universitatea Craiova extended their run of four straight away losses in all competitions.

Team News

Discipline and fitness issues further complicate matters. Dominik Kohr and Nadiem Amiri are both suspended, while Anthony Caci (thigh) and Maxim Dal (knee) remain on the sidelines.

Predicted lineup – 3-4-2-1: Rieß – Da Costa, Bell, Hanche-Olsen – Mwene, Maloney, Sano, Widmer – Nebel, Hollerbach – Lee