In the last round of the league, Mainz drew 1-1 with Hoffenheim. In that game, Mainz had 46% possession and 13 shots, 5 of which were on goal. Mainz's only goal came from Marco Richter (39th minute). Comparatively, Hoffenheim took 15 shots, four on goal, with Robert Skov (48th minute) scoring for Hoffenheim.
Jan Sievert-coached Mainz have scored a total of six goals in their last six games. However, they have also conceded nine goals in those games. Facing Freiburg, Mainz have failed to win in their first four league matches.
And Freiburg thrashed Olympiacos 5-0 in their most recent Europa League match. In that game, Freiburg had 54% possession and took 12 shots, six of which were on target. Players who scored for Freiburg included Michael Gregorich (3rd, 8th and 36th minutes), Kilian Cildilla (42nd minute) and Ritsu Tokiada (77th minute). Olympiacos took eight shots on goal and only one was on target.
Freiburg have broken through frequently in their six games leading up to the tournament, scoring a total of 12 goals. While their head coach Christian Streicher will surely see this as a positive sign, Freiburg's defensive end has had its share of pitfalls, having been breached in five of those six games.
Looking back at their previous meetings, Mainz and Freiburg have met six times since November 22, 2020, with Mainz winning two, Freiburg winning one, and the two sides drawing three. A total of 12 goals have been scored in these matches, 7 by Mainz and 5 by Freiburg, for an average of 2 goals per game.
The last time these two teams faced each other in the Bundesliga was on March 19, 2023, with the 25th round match ending 1-1 Freiburg for Mainz.
In that game, Mainz had 47% possession and 10 shot attempts, five of which were on goal. The lone goal scorer for Mainz was Karim Onisivo (96th minute).
On the other hand, Freiburg had 11 chances on goal, five of which were on target. Ryo Tokiada (55th minute) scored for Freiburg.
The match was enforced by referee Bastian Dankert.
Some of the Mainz squad players are unavailable, including Andreas Hanche Olsson (ankle injury), Robin Sentner (finger injury), Josua Guilavogui (muscle injury), Nelson Weeper (knee injury), Maxime Lech (tendon injury), and Karim Onisivo (ligament injury). Mainz is expected to use a 4-2-3-1 formation and the starting lineup could include Lasse Rees, Sylvain Widmer, Sepp van den Berg, Edimilson Fernandez, Anthony Casey, Leandro Bareiro, Dominic Cole, Brian Gruda, Jae-Seong Lee, Marco Richter, and Ludovic Ayok.
For Freiburg, head coach Christian Streicher is also facing player health issues. Yannick Keitel (groin pain), Maximilian Philipp (dislocated clavicle joint), Lukas Kübler (broken toe), Kenneth Schmidt (abdominal injury), Daniel Kofi Kerley (torn ACL), Christian Günther (fractured arm), and Max Rosenfeld (patellar tendon problem) are all set to miss the game.
Freiburg will likely play in a 3-4-2-1 formation with a starting lineup that includes Noah Atubolu, Matthias Ginter, Philipp Reinhardt, Manuel Gude, Ritsu Tokita, Noah Weisshaupt, Maximilian Eggestein, Niklas Höfler, Merlin Rohr, Vincenzo Grifo, and Lukas Höller.
