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

Niko Kovac's side are currently on a five-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga but have not won away from home since September, so they will be looking to pick up a good result on the road in this fixture.

Match preview

Bo Svensson's side were beaten 6-2 by Bayern Munich last weekend, with the home side scoring three goals in the first half.

That heavy loss came after a run of three games without a defeat, so they will be hoping that it was just an off-performance against really good opposition.

Mainz will be looking to emulate their last home performance in this fixture, as they found the net five times in their last game in front of their own fans. Five different players scored against Koln, with joint-top scorers for Mainz this season, Marcus Ingvartsen and Karim Onisiwo, both scoring their fourth goals of the campaign so far.

Ingvartsen has only started four games this season, missing several matches through injury early on in the campaign, which puts into perspective his tally of four goals. If he can stay fit, his contributions going forward could be crucial to a successful season for Mainz.

Despite shipping six goals against Bayern, the Mainz defence had shown signs of improvement in the previous three games, keeping two consecutive clean sheets and only conceding once against RB Leipzig.

Victory in this fixture could move Mainz into the European places, and after just missing out on qualification to the Conference League last season, they will be hoping to stay in contention for these spots.

After a comfortable victory against VfL Bochum in their last Bundesliga fixture, Wolfsburg will be hoping to carry that momentum into this game. Felix Nmecha scored his first two goals of the season against Bochum, giving the side another scoring threat.

A five-game unbeaten run is exactly what was needed after a less-than-ideal start to the season for Niko Kovac's side, with them not winning in their opening five Bundesliga games of this campaign. Picking up nine points in their last five games has certainly given some stability to the season.

Scoring has been a problem for Wolfsburg this season, with their top scorer being Lukas Nmecha with only three goals and the side collectively only scoring 17 goals in 12 games. The four goals scored against Bochum and the two goals they scored in their previous two fixtures before that do however show signs that the scoring may be improving.

A win against Mainz will leave them just one point behind their opponents and will leave them in a more comfortable position in the table as the World Cup break approaches.

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:

D

L

D

W

W

L

Mainz 05 form (all competitions):

L

D

W

W

W

L

Wolfsburg Bundesliga form:

L

W

D

D

D

W

Wolfsburg form (all competitions):

W

D

D

W

D

W

Team News

Mainz made three changes for the game against Bayern, one in each area of the pitch. Midfielder Dominik Kohr missed the game but he is expected to come back into the starting lineup.

Captain Silvan Widmer returned to the side for the Bayern game and is also likely to keep his place, as his replacement for the Koln fixture Danny Da Costa did not feature in the matchday squad.

Ingvartsen, after coming on against Bayern and scoring, would expect to find his name in the starting 11 for this fixture against Wolfsburg too, with Jonathan Burkardt the player to miss out.

Lukas Nmecha returned to the side as they beat Bochum 4-0 and should continue to lead the line in the 4-1-4-1 formation.

Kevin Paredes missed the last fixture for Wolfsburg and remains a doubt for this game, with Patrick Wimmer taking his place in the starting lineup. The rest of the side should remain unchanged.

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:

Zentner; Caci, Hack, Fernandes; Martin, Jae-sung, Kohr, Stach, Widmer; Ingvartsen, Onisiwo

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:

Casteels; Otavio, Van de Ven, Bornauw, Baku; Arnold, Kaminski, Gerhardt, F Nmecha, Wimmer; L Nmecha

We say: Mainz 05 2-2 Wolfsburg

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