Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

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

sportsmole.co.uk, 19 January 2023, 17:48
Stuttgart will be aiming to move outside of the relegation places when they return to action against Mainz 05 on Saturday.

Mainz, meanwhile, could move into the top half of the Bundesliga table with a victory.

Match preview

After only avoiding a relegation playoff against Hamburger SV due to having a superior goal difference to Hertha Berlin last season, Stuttgart certainly look set for another long slog of a campaign this time around.

After losing 2-0 to Bayer Leverkusen in their last match prior to the recent World Cup in Qatar, Die Roten's board have chosen to part ways from interim manager Michael Wimmer, with Bruno Labbadia installed for his second spell at the club.

The 56-year-old, whose most recent managerial spell came with Hertha, guided Stuttgart to the Europa League in two of his three seasons in charge between 2010 and 2013, but his aims are likely to be much more modest this time around, at least in the short term.

Labbadia will be hoping for a rapturous welcome at the Mercedes-Benz Arena against Mainz on Saturday, with his side's home form likely to prove crucial in terms of keeping them afloat in Germany's top division by the end of the season.

Mainz, of course, are a much more settled unit than their forthcoming opponents, having been led by Bo Svensson for more than two years now.

The 43-year-old, whose only previous managerial role was at FC Liefering in Austria, arrived in the Rhineland in a similar - albeit more precarious - position to Labbadia at Stuttgart, with Mainz struggling inside the bottom three places.

However, a strong run of form under the former Denmark international saw them comfortably survive by the end of the 2020-21 campaign, before he guided them to their strongest league placement in six years by finishing eighth last season.

Svensson will be keen to see his side return to winning ways having failed to claim all three points in any of their four matches prior to the World Cup, though, with a visit to a struggling team potentially presenting itself as a decent opportunity to lay down a marker for the second half of the campaign.

Stuttgart Bundesliga form:

W

L

W

L

W

L

Stuttgart form (all competitions):

W

L

W

L

W

L

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:

W

W

L

L

L

D

Mainz 05 form (all competitions):

W

W

L

L

L

D

Team News

Stuttgart are likely to be without Atakan Karazor (Achilles), Dan-Axel Zagadou (ligament), Borna Sosa (groin) and Chris Fuhrich (shoulder) due to injury, while Laurin Ulrich is suffering with illness.

Labbadia utilised three central defenders in a recent friendly defeat against Slavia Prague, so the former Wolfsburg boss appears likely to stick with the back five system which Stuttgart have used for the majority of this season.

Mainz, meanwhile, could travel without Marlon Mustapha (thigh), Jonathan Burkardt (knee), Anton Stach (toe) and Stefan Bell and Robin Zentner (both muscle), while Delano Burgzorg is still working his way back to full fitness following a knock.

Marcus Ingvartsen, Lee Jae-sung and Angelo Fulgini are likely to be fighting to start in attack behind Karim Onisiwo, who will be hoping to go on a goalscoring run at some point having only bagged four times in 15 league games so far this season.

Stuttgart possible starting lineup:

Muller; Anton, Mavropanos, Ito; Vagnoman, Endo, Ahamada, Nartey, Silas; Tomas, Guirassy

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:

Zentner; Bell, Hack, Leitsch; Widmer, Barreiro, Kohr, Caricol; Jae-sung, Fulgini; Onisiwo

We say: Stuttgart 1-1 Mainz 05

With both teams potentially missing some important players through injury and likely to still be finding their rhythm in their first competitive match for more than two months, we can envisage a share of the spoils in Stuttgart on Saturday.

The hosts should be buoyed by the return of a successful former manager in their dugout, but Svensson's Mainz are generally a tough nut to crack and will not want to return with a defeat.

Previews by email

Top News

22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two places separate Willem II and NAC Breda in the Eredivisie table heading into Sunday's gameweek 13 meeting at Koning Willem II Stadion. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Premier League football returns this weekend, with the final international break of 2024 now being completed. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Jack Grealish has revealed whether or not he would ever appear on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has insisted he will remain Manchester City manager even if the club are relegated over alleged breaches of financial rules. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming for a victory to start Patrick Vieira's tenure positively, Genoa seek maximum against a Cagliari side one place ahead of them in the Serie A table ahead of Sunday's gameweek 13 match at Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim takes charge of his inaugural Manchester United match on Sunday afternoon, when his Red Devils side face Ipswich Town at Portman Road in the Premier League. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is guaranteed to set a new club record in Saturday's Premier League home meeting with Nottingham Forest. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton boss Russell Martin has confirmed that both Aaron Ramsdale and Jan Bednarek will be sidelined for "a number of weeks". 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alistair Johnston has claimed that he is "exactly where I want to be" as he enters the prime years of his career after signing a contract extension at Celtic until the summer of 2029. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ajax will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in the Eredivisie this weekend when they face off against PEC Zwolle at the Johan Cruijff Arena on Sunday afternoon. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Premier League champions Manchester City will be looking to return to winning ways when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Looking to strengthen their case for a top-six finish, Swansea City will welcome Premier League-chasing Leeds United to Swansea. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea's hopes of claiming all three points against Leicester City may be tempered by the recent record following international windows. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Lionel Messi continues to break records while in the twilight of his career - but one stat has proved impossible for even him to top. 22 November 2024 talksport.com No list of all-time Premier League goals can be complete without Tony Yeboah's memorable screamer against Liverpool in August 1995. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ipswich Town midfielder Kalvin Phillips is eligible to return from suspension for the Tractor Boys' Premier League showdown with Manchester United at Portman Road on Sunday. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Comments from Rodri about Vinicius Jr during an interview sparked a feisty response from Neymar on Instagram. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim could be working around a defensive selection crisis for his first Premier League match in charge against Ipswich Town on Sunday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City midfielder Rodri has seemingly opened the door to a future move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Premier League clubs are not renowned for their patience when firing managers, and we've already had our first sacking of 2024/25. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Returning to the Roma hotseat for a third spell in charge, Claudio Ranieri will lead the Giallorossi into Sunday's Serie A showdown with Napoli. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has conceded that Ben White is likely to be out for months rather than weeks after undergoing an operation on his knee. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal expert Charles Watts believes that Gunners new boy Mikel Merino has been "unfairly judged" on some of his performances so far in the 2024-25 campaign. 22 November 2024 talksport.com What would you do if you first big break in football came with your fierce rivals? 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk One of the most unlikely matchups we could have anticipated heading into the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs will transpire on Sunday as Orlando City face Atlanta United in the Eastern Conference semi-finals at Inter & Co Stadium. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Lionel Messi's former Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano is set to be the new head coach of Inter Miami, according to reports. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both aiming to kick-start their Premier League campaigns after stalling before the international break, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace convene at Villa Park on Saturday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sean Dyche will look to extend his 100% record over Thomas Frank as Everton manager, when Brentford visit Goodison Park in the Premier League on Saturday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fourth meets fifth in Saturday's fascinating Premier League battle at the Emirates, as Arsenal welcome Nottingham Forest to the English capital. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking a fifth win from six Premier League home games against Brighton & Hove Albion, Bournemouth host the Seagulls in Saturday's top-flight affair at the Vitality Stadium.