Opponent analysis: Mainz 05 vs RB Leipzig

RBL heading to Mainz

On Saturday afternoon at the classic football time (15:30 CET), RBL go to Mainz on the hunt again for points in the Bundesliga.

With 20 points from nine games, our boys have recorded the second-best Bundesliga start in the club’s history. Only in the first season after promotion did they have a higher return at this point of the season (21). Additionally, RBL have racked up their best ever goal difference: in the aforementioned nine games, Leipzig have conceded just seven goals and scored more than ever before (25).

Even though Mainz are still without a win after nine matchdays for the first time in club history, they have good memories of facing RB Leipzig when it comes to previous meetings in a similar situation. In the 2020/21 season, the 05ers sat bottom of the table with seven points after 18 matchdays. A 3-2 home win against RB Leipzig was the catalyst for their revival and subsequent retention of top-flight status.

What awaits our boys in Mainz. Form, key players, head-to-head record – it’s all in our opponent analysis.

Current form

The 05ers started pre-season promisingly. In their training camp in Schladming (Austria), Mainz began by beating Swiss top-tier side St. Gallen 4-1, before celebrating a dominant 3-0 win over English Premier League club Burnley. Armed with plenty of confidence, they won their first competitive game against second-division Elversberg in the DFB-Pokal and moved into the next round.
The victory in Saarland on 12th August 2023 was the most recent competitive win for coach Bo Svensson’s team. The 4-1 defeat at Union Berlin on the first matchday was followed by a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt and then a 4-0 loss in Bremen. Mainz remained without points in defeats against Stuttgart (3-1), Augsburg (2-1) and Leverkusen (3-0), before this negative trend was stopped by a 2-2 draw in Gladbach. Recently, they have shown their potential again somewhat: against Bayern München, they were unlucky to lose 3-1, and in Bochum (2-2), they showed a good mentality and got a deserved point in the end.

Nevertheless, Mainz are still waiting for a victory in 14 Bundesliga games over the last two seasons (four draws, ten defeats). The last win was a good half a year ago. That was against Bayern München. Three points after nine games is the worst total in club history and currently sees them 18th in the table.

Mainz’s form in numbers

Mainz 05…

… have gone 14 Bundesliga games without a win over two seasons.
… are yet to keep a clean sheet this season and have already conceded 24 goals. Only Darmstadt 98, with 30, have let in more.
… are one of the teams with the most sprints in the league, alongside Wolfsburg, Heidenheim, Leverkusen and Dortmund.
… have only played teams in the top half at home (one draw, three defeats) and only teams in the bottom half away (two draws, three defeats).
… have a full-back as their top scorer in the shape of Anthony Caci (2).
… kept a clean sheet most recently in the 3-0 win over RB Leipzig on 1st April 2023 and have conceded 43 goals in 17 matches since then.
… primarily play in a 3-4-2-1 formation.

Transfers

Mainz 05 experienced a turbulent transfer window. In the form of Anton Stach (to Hoffenheim), Aaron Martin (to Genoa) and Marcus Ingvartsen (to Nordsjaelland), three key figures from the previous season left the Bruchweg. Shortly after the start of this season, it became apparent that centre-back Andreas Hanche-Olsen and forward Nelson Weiper would be out for long periods of time, meaning that the 05ers had to readjust their squad with the season already underway. One name in particular caused a bit of a stir on the Rhine:

Defensively, Mainz were able to strengthen with a very experienced player: Joshua Guilavogui. The 33-year-old Frenchman is a familiar face from the Bundesliga, wore the captain’s armband for VfL Wolfsburg for many years and was an undisputed leader there until the end of his contract. The defensive midfielder has played a total of 408 competitive games at national and international level, including seven appearances for the France senior side. At Mainz, Guilavogui is primarily set to feature in the role of central defender in a 3-4-2-1 system.
Instead of the Cottaweg, midfielder Tom Krauß currently plays at the Bruchweg. The former Leipzig player joined the 05ers in the summer, having featured 32 times in the Bundesliga for Schalke 04 last season, scoring twice. 05 head coach Bo Svensson was full of praise at the player’s presentation, saying that “Tom already has a wealth of experience at the highest level. He knows that he has the potential for even more.” The Leipzig-born man has not received the playing time he hoped for so far, but he scored his first goal for Mainz last week, which was vital to earn a point in Bochum.
Central defensive talent Sepp van den Berg went on a similar path – after a spell in Gelsenkirchen, the Netherlands U21 international again went out on loan, this time to Mainz. Van den Berg is still under contract at Liverpool, but joined the 05ers for a year on the recommendation of head coach and Mainz legend Jürgen Klopp. “Sepp is a young, incredibly focused central defender, who already brings a lot: he has technique, game intelligence, physicality and mentality,” raved Bo Svensson. The young Dutchman has started seven games out of nine and has recorded some of the best tackling statistics in the 05ers’ squad.

Further new arrivals:

Marco Richter (Hertha BSC)
Phillip Mwene (PSV Eindhoven)
Daniel Batz (Saarbrücken)
Anwar El Ghazi (free agent)

Departures:

Angelo Fulgini (RC Lens)
Alexander Hack (Al-Qadsiah)
Marlon Mustapha (Como)
Ronael Pierre-Gabriel (FC Nantes)
Finn Dahmen (FC Augsburg)
Anderson Lucoqui (Hertha BSC)
Delano Burgzorg (Huddersfield | loan)

Key players

He drives his team forward on the left wing, delivers dangerous crosses and has already shown this season that he knows where the goal is: Anthony Caci. The Frenchman is going into his second season with the 05ers, having transferred as a starter from RC Strasbourg to the Bruchweg, and has already struck twice this season. As well as being a presence in the opponent’s penalty area, the 26-year-old also knows how to defend, being Mainz’s strongest player in individual battles.
Brajan Gruda has been with the 05ers since the age of 14 and has had the club’s philosophy – consisting of high pressing and quick counterattacks – ingrained within him for years. The Germany U21 international is considered one of the most encouraging talents in German football and has already been awarded the “Fritz Walter” silver medal. About half of Gruda’s dribbles are successful, which puts him in the top ten for the current Bundesliga season. In addition, the homegrown talent has impressed with his eye for creating goalscoring situations and putting his teammates in good positions.
He covers the distance in midfield, goes in where it hurts and is one of the central creative players in the Mainz midfield: Leandro Barreiro. The Luxembourg international has started every competitive game for Mainz so far this season. His presence, calmness and intuition are vital for Mainz’s counterattacking football. Barreiro commits the most fouls, but also has some of the best statistics for individual battles in the league. His strengths aren’t just limited to defensive moments, having been involved in eight goals last season.

Absentees

Centre-back Andreas Hanche-Olsen has been sorely missed. The Norwegian has had to undergo an operation due to recurring ankle issues and will be unavailable to head coach Bo Svensson long-term.
Jonathan Burkardt is close to returning to team training, but is not an option against Leipzig.
Another Mainz forward, Nelson Weiper, will be missing against RBL. He has had to undergo knee surgery and is currently recovering.
It is still unclear whether Stefan Bell will be able to play on Saturday. The central defender missed the 3-0 DFB-Pokal defeat to Hertha BSC.

Head coach

Not many people know the club as well as Bo Svensson. The Dane played over 100 games in a Mainz 05 shirt between 2007 and 2014. The former centre-back has been the club’s head coach since January 2021.
With two years and eleven months in charge, he is the third longest-serving head coach in the Bundesliga (after Christian Streich and Urs Fischer).

Svensson prefers an intense style of play. His team press the opponents early and try to start quick counterattacks after winning the ball. Mainz do a lot of running and have been very aggressive since he took over as head coach.

RBL vs. Mainz

The two teams’ current form seems to point to only one result, but be careful:
Mainz have won three of their last five matches against RB Leipzig and have only lost once in this time. The 05ers won 3-0 in the Red Bull Arena the last time the teams met. In addition, they are unbeaten in their last three home matches against RBL, winning two.

Head-to-head