1. FSV Mainz 05

On Friday evening (20:30 CEST), The Zerofivers will travel to the Volkswagen Arena to face VfL Wolfsburg as the season reaches its climax. Mainz go into the game safe in the knowledge that their Bundesliga status for the 2022/23 season is guarenteed, which is a luxury that Friday’s oponnents have not yet earned. The Wolves are going into the contest off the back of a 6-1 drubbing to Borussia Dortund and will be looking to tighten up when Svensson’s side come to town, something which the boss is fully aware of: “After their last game against Dortmund we are expecting a very tough match.” Around 300 Zerofivers are expected to make the trip to Lower-Saxony.

Matchday 31 ended in a 5-0 defeat for Mainz. Despite conceding an early goal, Svensson’s side were in the game in the opening stages and had a glorious chance to equalise through Jonny Burkardt. Things went downhill for the Zerofivers when Niklas Tauer was sent from the field of play in the 23rd minute for a foul in the penalty area and FSV went on to concede four more goals before the break. Mainz looked a lot more solid in the second half but were unable to get on the score sheet.

It was a disappointing night for everyone associated with Mainz as The Zerofivers suffered a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Wolfsburg. Svensson’s side put in a decent performance in the opening stages of the first half but were rocked back after Tauer was sent from the field of play. It was ultimately a “devastating ten minutes leading up to half time” that cost Mainz, according to sporting director Martin Schmidt.

It goes without saying that the heavy defeat to Wolfsburg on Friday night had an effect on the players and the coaching staff. This week in training, however, the team has looked to move on from the disappointing night in Lower-Saxony by focussing on its strengths. A tough test awaits Mainz this weekend, as Bundesliga champions FC Bayern are in town. Despite the desire to push forward, the performance shown against Wolfsburg is still difficult for Robin Zentner to comprehend. The goalkeeper had to pick the ball out of his net five times as Mainz suffered their heaviest defeat of the season. “It was a bit of a shock and it’s not easy to process. We were super disappointed and also angry with ourselves,” said the 27-year-old. Despite the bitterness, Zentner is still confident that his team can put things right as the season reaches its climax.

Saturday’s home game at the MEWA ARENA will see 1. FSV Mainz 05 face off against FC Bayern München for the 32nd time in the Bundesliga, with the visitors having already won the league for the tenth time in a row last weekend. Today, we’re taking the opportunity to look back on the Zerofivers’ first-ever home victory against the record champions with a man who has experience on both sides of the fixture: Florian Heller. The former Mainz right-back played at every level of FC Bayern’s youth academy but moved to Bruchweg in 2008, and started in the win for an FSV side coached by Thomas Tuchel, in their third game since regaining promotion to the top division. The 2-1 triumph in August 2009 was watched by 20,300 fans at the Bruchwegstadion, with the home side scoring all the goals. Andreas Ivanschitz opened the scoring, before Aristide Bancé’s goal gave Mainz a 2-0 lead going into half time. An own goal from Nikolce Noveski just after the restart halved the deficit, as he deflected a ball from Thomas Müller into his own net.

For the first time in nearly two years, the MEWA ARENA will be fully sold out. 33,305 fans are expected for the upcoming game against FC Bayern.

Danny da Costa is returning to 1. FSV Mainz 05. The 28-year-old defender is arriving on a free transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt for the start of the 2022/2023 and has signed a contract until 2025. Da Costa, who spent six months on loan at FSV during the second half of last season, was an integral part of the side that secured Bundesliga safety in superb fashion. The defender has played 214 games in the top two divisions of German football and in the DFB-Pokal. He is also an experienced player on the European stage, with 32 Europa League appearances and two Champions League appearances under his belt.

Mainz deservedly beat Bundesliga champions FC Bayern by three goals to one on Saturday afternoon after a fast and furious performance. The Zerofivers were superior in almost all departments and were the better team for 90 minutes. Despite goals from Moussa Niakhaté, Jonny Burkardt and Leandro Barreiro, Svensson’s side will be disappointed that they didn’t score more against the record champions. This was the Zerofivers’ tenth win at the MEWA ARENA this season and they now sit on 42 points after 32 games.

The MEWA ARENA, which was sold out for the first time in nearly two years, provided the perfect stage for Mainz’s fast and furious performance against record champions FC Bayern, who were crowned Bundesliga champions for the tenth time in a row last weekend. The Zerofivers ran away as worthy 3-1 winners and were especially strong in the first half, when they dominated their opponents. It would’ve been unsurprising if Svensson’s side had scored more than three because they created so many chances throughout the afternoon. “Today’s win over Bayern was no fluke and was fully deserved. We were outstanding for 90 minutes,” said sporting director Martin Schmidt after the game, who was understandably overjoyed. The Mainz fans were also delighted after the final whistle, and stayed behind to celebrate with their victorious players.

Lasse Rieß has extended his contract until 2025. The 20-year-old goalkeeper has spent ten years in the Mainz youth academy and is the third choice keeper in the first team. He is a regular starter in the Regionalliga Südwest for the U23s.