Mainz 05 aims to end their curse against promoted teams in the Bundesliga season opener. Coach Urs Fischer and his team host newly promoted SC Paderborn on Saturday at 3:30 PM in a sold-out stadium, broadcast live on Sky. The Zerofive finished the previous season in 10th place with 40 points from 10 wins, 10 draws, and 14 losses. The team scored 44 goals but conceded 53, resulting in a -9 goal difference.
How has Mainz 05 prepared for the season?
Pre-season under Urs Fischer was successful. In friendly matches, they achieved seven wins and one draw. A highlight was the 9:0 cup thrashing of lower-league side Krieschow. Fischer, 60, stresses that such results are only of limited significance. "The tension is there, there's a tingle." the coach told Bild Sport. He expects a difficult match against the team from East Westphalia and notes that it takes three to four games to properly get into the rhythm of the season.
Which players are missing against Paderborn?
The squad situation is tight. Long-term absentees are Silas with a fractured tibia and fibula, Martel with a torn medial knee ligament, and Nebel with an adductor injury. A special case is striker Benedict Hollerbach. The 25-year-old suffered an Achilles tendon rupture in January and is not in the squad for the Paderborn match. Instead, he will play for the U23s on Sunday at 2:00 PM in the Regionalliga Südwest against VfR Aalen to gain much-needed match fitness. The current injury list can be viewed on our injuries page.
Why is the historical record a burden?
The statistics are against Mainz 05. The club has lost its last five season-opening matches against newly promoted teams. Although the Zerofive are considered favorites against Paderborn, this negative trend weighs on the team. "I've been told that Mainz lost the last five season openers against a promoted team. What should I say now?" Fischer commented on the historical record. A win would be an important psychological signal for the start of the new campaign.
What comes after the season opener?
The focus is fully on the duel with Paderborn for now. A look at the fixtures, however, shows that the next Bundesliga match is already on September 6th. Then, they travel to face last season's 13th-placed team, Hamburger SV. The overall record from last season shows that Mainz 05, trailing champions Bayern Munich by 49 points, still has room for improvement. The coming weeks will show if the team can translate the positive pre-season phase into point-winning Bundesliga matches. The table development can be followed on our standings page.
