Pre-match facts: VfB vs. Mainz 05

Record against Mainz

Overall: 35 games. 15 wins, 8 draws, 12 defeats. 57:50 goal difference.

In the Bundesliga: 31 games. 14 wins, 8 draws, 9 defeats. 53:41 goal difference.

The coaches’ views

VfB head coach Sebastian Hoeneß: “The team have strong stats under Jan Siewert. It’s very hard to create goalscoring chances against them. They contest and win a lot of challenges, they play and run hard with a lot of long balls and second balls. It’ll be a tough task. It’s important that we’re willing to go to the limit and contest the challenges. We need to be at 100 percent again, like on Tuesday.””

Mainz coach Jan Siewert: “Stuttgart are extremely flexible and we have to be brave against a team like this.”

Home strength vs. away weakness

With eight wins and just one draw and one defeat at the MHPArena, VfB are in third place in the Bundesliga home table on 25 points. Moreover, nine goals conceded in 10 matches represents an average of only 0.9 goals per game.

Mainz 05, on the other hand, are the only team in the Bundesliga still without a win on the road this season. They’re not bottom of the away table, however, as the Zerofivers have managed six draws on their travels (13th place, six points).

Goals

There have been 94 goals in the 31 Bundesliga meetings between the two teams, an average of 3.03 per game.

Suspension tightrope

Mainz have no fewer than four players who are on four yellow cards: Edimilson Fernandes, Anthony Caci, Leandro Barreiro and Tom Krauß are each one booking away from a ban. The only VfB player in that boat is Maximilian Mittelstädt.

Crowd

The home area of the MHPArena is sold out.

Team news

Sebastian Hoeneß must do without Li Egloff (fitness), Niko Nartey and Dan-Axel Zagadou (both injured) against Mainz. Silas is involved in the third-place playoff at the Africa Cup of Nations with DR Congo on Saturday.