Club records in sight

1. FSV Mainz 05 will host SC Freiburg at the MEWA ARENA on Sunday night (19:30 CET). Both teams have been in good form recently and are in the top third of the Bundesliga table. There a number of similarities between both sides, but also some stark differences.

Stats and facts on #M05SCF

Third-best side in the second half of the season

Mainz’s run of four Bundesliga wins in a row came to an end in Berlin last weekend (1-1). Nevertheless, FSV are now unbeaten in five games and are seventh in the league. In a table representing the second half of the season, the Zerofivers are third behind only Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern.

Freiburg also in good form

Just like Mainz, SC Freiburg are currently on a five-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga, something only Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 can also boast right now. SC are fourth in the table representing the second half of the season, and are competing for Champions League qualification.

Chasing a club record

Mainz have won each of their last four games at home; the club record stands at five wins in a row, only previously achieved under Thomas Tuchel and Bo Svensson last season.

Freiburg also close to a record

SC kept a clean sheet in both their last two away games in Bochum and Mönchengladbach. A third shutout, this Sunday in Mainz, would see them equal their club record.

First jobs

Bo Svensson and Christian Streich are both still in their first jobs as head coaches in the Bundesliga, though Streich has taken charge of 269 more top-flight matches than his Mainz counterpart.

Two successful coaches

Svensson has the best points-per-game average of any Mainz coach in the Bundesliga (1.5), while Streich’s return of 1.3 points per game is also the best at Freiburg. The two coaches took over their sides during a relegation battle and have guided them up the league since.

Similar stories

Both clubs keep faith in their coaches, have a solid financial base and are fighting for European qualification this season. The two sides were promoted to the Bundesliga together in 2009, and while Mainz have been in the top flight ever since, Freiburg spent 2015/16 in the second division.

A strong defence

Both teams base their success on a solid defence. Freiburg have conceded just 33 goals and Mainz only 35, giving both teams a better defensive record than most in the division.

Strong in the air and from set pieces

Freiburg have scored a league-high 16 goals from set pieces, while Mainz have managed 12, the fifth-most in the division. The two teams are also good in the air, scoring nine (FSV) and eight (SCF) headed goals apiece.

A different style

Mainz have covered the fourth-most ground in the division and record a high number of sprints and intensive runs. On top of that, they have contested the fifth-most challenges. Freiburg, on the other hand, have contested the fewest challenges, recorded the second-fewest sprints and run over two kilometers fewer than FSV per game.

Referee

Bastian Dankert will take charge of Sunday night’s game. His assistants are René Rohde and Marcel Unger, while Robert Hartmann will be the fourth official. Felix Zwayer and Mike Pickel are on VAR duty.