Preview: Mainz 05 vs. Eintracht Frankfurt - prediction, team news, lineups

In the first Rhine-Main derby of the season, local bragging rights will be on offer alongside the much-needed morale boost of entering the winter break on a considerable high.

Match preview

Bo Svensson's Mainz will be looking to put an end to a painful run of form that has seen them concede 10 goals in their last three league matches.

Having picked up 10 goals and three clean sheets against Werder Bremen, Luebeck and FC Koln, Svennson's side seemed to have been on an upward trajectory going into the final stretch of this first round of fixtures.

However, reality struck home for Die Nullfuenfer with a 6-2 pummelling at the hands of league leaders Bayern Munich and a star turn from Julian Nagelsmann's unlikely hero Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting.

A 3-0 home defeat to Wolfsburg last Saturday and a shockingly-limp 1-0 loss to bottom-of-the-table Schalke have shown the frailty and inconsistency of Svensson's Mainz.

The same cannot be said for their local rivals on the other side of the Rhine River - indeed, quite the opposite is true, as Frankfurt have picked up three victories in a row heading into the World Cup interlude.

Frankfurt of course will still be on a massive high after their last-gasp triumph in Group D of the Champions League, with the Germans beating Sporting Lisbon to the knockout rounds with a 2-1 win in Portugal.

Since that night in Lisbon, Frankfurt have recorded back-to-back victories against Augsburg and Hoffenheim.

The rise in form of forwards Randal Kolo Muani and Daichi Kamada has reminded Bundesliga fans of the quality Die Adler have - the same quality that saw them glide to the Europa League title last season.

That said, it had been a less-than-ideal start to the campaign for Frankfurt, opening the season with a 6-1 home thrashing at the hands of Bayern.

A particular low point of the season had to be the 3-0 collapse at the hands of relegation candidates VfL Bochum, with Evan Ndicka's form that day a shadow of what the French centre-back has proven capable of in his so-far impressive career.

Glasner's men have not wallowed in pity since their opening disappointment though, responding with four wins and 15 goals in their last five league matches.

Their 26 points from 14 games to date equals their best-ever return at this stage of the Bundesliga, and no side will have fancied coming up against a side so high in confidence and achievement.

The Eagles on the Rhine will not be facing a Mainz side ready to roll over for them though; Mainz have lost just one of their last 14 league matches against Frankfurt, and out of all their Bundesliga competitors, Frankfurt only have a worse win percentage against RB Leipzig - 0% compared to 7% against Mainz.

Yet with only six out of a possible 21 points gained at home for Mainz this season, Glasner will be thoroughly optimistic of carrying on his side's impressive form in this edition of the Rhine River derby.

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:

D

W

W

L

L

L

Mainz 05 form (all competitions):

W

W

W

L

L

L

Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga form:

L

W

W

L

W

W

Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions):

W

W

L

W

W

W

Team News

Apart from the ongoing absences of striker Marlon Mustapha (thigh) and defender Maxim Leitsch (illness), Svensson will have a full squad to select from going into the local derby.

Svensson will likely bring back club captain Silvan Widmer for the big game, the Swiss right-back benched for the Schalke game in favour of Danny da Costa.

Centre-back Alexander Hack may be replaced in the starting lineup by the experienced option of Stefan Bell. Hack was pulled from the Schalke game after just 30 minutes, and the 29-year-old's form since the Bayern game last month has left a lot to be desired for Mainz.

For Frankfurt, captain Sebastian Rode is a major doubt for Sunday, with the midfielder struggling to recover from a calf injury picked up against Augsburg last weekend.

Croatian international Kristijan Jakic may miss the match too, with Glasner stating at his press conference on Friday that the player has been receiving treatment for a swollen ankle.

Meanwhile, defenders Makoto Hasebe (knee ligament rupture), Aurelio Buta (knee) and Christopher Lenz (hamstring) remain out.

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:

Zentner; Fernandes, Bell, Caci; Widmer, Stach, Lee, Kohr, Aaron; Ingvartsen, Onisiwo

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:

Trapp; Tuta, Smolcic, Ndicka; Knauff, Sow, Gotze, Pellegrini; Lindstrom, Kamada, Muani

We say: Mainz 05 1-3 Eintracht Frankfurt

Glasner's Frankfurt are flying high at the moment, showing off their offensive skill with their high goal-output this season. Though their record against Mainz is abysmal, they are facing them at possibly the best time and on the highest vein of form since their Europa League victory last May.

Mainz will look to take on Frankfurt in a confrontational, direct manner, making use of their bullish midfield and, particularly, try to bring their attacking talismans Karim Onisiwo and Lee Jae-sung into the game down the channels.

However, such an aggressive and risky style will play right into the hands of Glasner's tactically-astute side, with Kamada, Muani and Jesper Lindstrom adept at exploiting any gaps left behind on the turnover.

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