Werder Bremen overcame their DFB-Pokal hurdle against Flensburg without any problems, now the attention returns to Bundesliga action. Florian Kohfeldt’s side travel to FSV Mainz 05 on Sunday evening (18:00 CET) on matchday ten of the Bundesliga season. The Green-Whites travel to the Rhine valley with fond memories of previous trip to Mainz. Here is our preview to the match.
Previous encounters: Mainz visited the Weser-Stadion on matchday 17 of last season, the final matchday of 2017. The match ended in an entertaining 2-2 draw as goals from Philipp Bargfrede and Milos Veljkovic had given the home side an early 2-0 lead. Werder also created more chances to add to their lead in the second half but were not able to take them. Instead, Mainz took two of the chances they created as Fabian Frei and Robin Quaison drew the visitors level. In the return match in Mainz, on the final day of last season, Kohfeldt’s side were able to take all three points to secure an 11th place finish for the season. Mainz took an early lead by Florian Kainz was on hand to provide a quick response for the Green-Whites. Kainz was also involved in the winning goal, delivering the corner which Theodor Gebre Selassie headed home with eleven minutes to go to give the visitors the spoils.
The head coach’s thoughts on the match: Florian Kohfeldt believes Mainz will be tough opponents for his side. “Mainz may not have won for a few matches but are making a stable impression on other teams,” said the Werder head coach on Friday. Kohfeldt knows the strengths the hosts possess ahead of Sunday’s clash: “Mainz are a quick side who like to hit teams on the break and try to use the flanks when in possession.” However, Kohfeldt adds that “we know what we need to do to win this match.” The Werder coach is especially aware of one aspect of Mainz’s style of play: “Mainz have a lot of pace on the flanks whilst having an open man in midfield. It is therefore not easy to explain why they have been unable to find the back of the net on many occasions in recent weeks. We have to work hard to ensure that the penny doesn’t drop against us.”
Squad updates: “Philipp Bargfrede and Niklas Moisander trained today and I believe there is a strong probability that they will be available for selection on Sunday,” said a pleased Florian Kohfeldt at his press conference on Friday. Max Kruse is also expected to return to the squad after he was rested for the DFB-Pokal clash with Flensburg in Lübeck. Kohfeldt does have a difficult decision ahead of him as to who will feature in the starting lineup on Sunday.
Head to head record: Werder and Mainz will meet for the 25th time in the Bundesliga on Sunday with recent results favouring the Green-Whites. Werder have won twelve of the 24 previous meetings between the two sides, drawing six times and falling to six defeats. Mainz have lost at home to Werder on eight previous occasions and only FC Bayern München have won on more occasions in Mainz (ten victories). Mainz’s heaviest defeat in the Bundesliga also came at home to the Green-Whites as Jürgen Klopp’s side fell to a 6-1 home defeat to Werder in the 2006/07 season.
Werder’s opponents: Mainz fell to a 3-2 extra defeat to FC Augsburg in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday night and the 05ers have not had it easy in the Bundesliga in recent weeks either. Sandro Schwarz’s side have only been able to secure two points from their last six Bundesliga matches, scoring only once in the process. Mainz have also not been clinical in front of goal, taking just 5% of the chances they create which is the lowest of any Bundesliga side. However, Mainz are difficult side to face at home, taking eight of their nine points so far this season in the OPEL ARENA. Only FC Bayern München have been able to take all three points from a trip to Mainz so far this season.
Referee: Guido Winkmann will be the referee for the match in Mainz while Christian Bandurski and Arno Blos are the two assistants. Dr. Martin Thomsen is the fourth official while Harm Osmers and Alexander Sather are the Video Assistant Referees (VAR).
