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

Neither side have been beaten in any of their last five league games, with Mainz nine points behind their opponents in the table prior to kick-off.

Match preview

Indeed, Mainz had put together a sensational winning streak of four matches before being held 1-1 away to Hertha Berlin last weekend, with Ludovic Ajorque's 57th-minute strike claiming a point for the visitors.

Bo Svensson's side had trailed due to Jessic Ngankam's dispatched penalty after 18 minutes, but they dominated possession thereafter, albeit without generating many shots to test the opposition goalkeeper Oliver Christensen.

Having missed out on qualifying for Europe by finishing eighth last season, Svensson will be hoping to see his side go at least one better this time around, although whether seventh spot proves enough to qualify for the Europa Conference League will depend on which team prevails in the DFB-Pokal.

With Eintracht Frankfurt only four points ahead of Die Nullfunfer in sixth position, though, a first top six finish since the 2015-16 campaign is far from out of the equation. Beating Freiburg on Sunday would also make them another team they could realistically catch, but nine points or more feels a stretch at this stage of the season.

Freiburg, of course, are aiming to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in the club's history, with only goal difference preventing them from being inside the top four prior to any action taking place this weekend.

RB Leipzig and Union Berlin currently occupy third and fourth spots respectively ahead of Christian Streich's side. All three teams were knocked out of European competition this week, with Freiburg succumbing to a 2-0 defeat at home to Juventus in the Europa League on Thursday.

Breisgau-Brasilianer's chances of overturning their 1-0 deficit from the first leg all but evaporated when Manuel Gulde was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 44th minute, with Dusan Vlahovic converting from the penalty spot after Gulde had harshly been adjudged to have handled the ball inside the box.

The fact that Freiburg are even taking on opponents such as the Italian giants shows how far they have progressed under Streich's 11-year and counting reign, though, having only been a penalty shoot-out away from lifting their first ever major trophy against Leipzig in last season's DFB-Pokal final.

They remain in the hunt for Germany's domestic cup again this time around, although their chances appear to be slim having been drawn away to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. As such, Streich's main focus will be on securing a top four position, with avoiding defeat against Mainz on Sunday a minimum requirement ahead of the international break.

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:

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Freiburg Bundesliga form:

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Freiburg form (all competitions):

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Team News

Mainz will remain without Jonathan Burkardt due to a long-term knee problem, with the talented attacking midfielder unlikely to return to first-team action until at least mid-April.

Stefan Bell has shaken off a sprained knee to feature in recent matches and should lead the defence, but Karim Onisiwo may have to be patient from the bench once again after returning late on against Hertha last time out.

Freiburg, meanwhile, will travel without Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and Philipp Lienhart due to knee and hip injuries respectively, with Gulde set to continue in defence despite being sent off in Europe during the week.

Streich utilised a back five against the Turin-based outfit, but he is likely to return to his preferred conventional back four system on Sunday, with either Lukas Kubler or Kiliann Sildillia set to be replaced by Vincenzo Grifo to provide more attacking thrust for the visitors.

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:

Zentner; Hanche-Olsen, Bell, Fernandes; Da Costa, Barreiro, Kohr, Caci; Lee, Ingvartsen; Ajorque

Freiburg possible starting lineup:

Flekken; Sildillia, Ginter, Gulde, Günter; Eggestein, Hofler; Doan, Holer, Grifo; Gregoritsch

We say: Mainz 05 1-1 Freiburg

With both teams enjoying five-match unbeaten runs in the Bundesliga in recent weeks, there is very little to split these two sides, and we can envisage both managers being content to get to the other side of the imminent international break with their recent records in tact.

As such, it would be no surprise to see a share of the spoils be the outcome of Sunday's meeting at the MEWA Arena, which would be no disaster for either club.

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