A potentially-pivotal clash between two relegation-threatened Bundesliga teams takes place at Mewa Arena on Saturday afternoon, as Mainz 05 play host to basement club SV Darmstadt 98.
There was nothing to separate these two sides the last time that they locked horns in mid-November when they played out a goalless draw at Merck-Stadion am Bollenfalltor.
Match preview
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Mainz have been battling at the wrong end of the table throughout this season, but they have recently boosted their hopes of preserving their top-flight status for a 16th consecutive season after picking up five points across their last four Bundesliga matches.
The 05ers are yet to lose on home soil since the arrival of head coach Bo Henriksen in mid-February and they won their most recent match at Mewa Arena by a 2-0 scoreline against VfL Bochum, before admirably claiming a point in a goalless stalemate at top-four hopefuls RB Leipzig last weekend.
With just seven Bundesliga games left to play, Mainz occupy 16th place - the relegation playoff position - and are hovering just one point above the bottom two, while they are six points adrift of guaranteed safety.
A six-point gap between 16th and 15th has never been closed so late into a Bundesliga season since the introduction of the three-point rule, but Mainz will look to change that win success on Saturday against a Darmstadt outfit whom they have claimed eight points from across the last five top-flight meetings (W2, D2, L1).
While Mainz have reason to be optimistic in their quest to avoid the drop, the same cannot be said about Darmstadt, who enter Saturday's contest having failed to win any of their last 20 Bundesliga matches - an unwanted club record - since a 2-1 away victory at Augsburg on October 7.
The Lilies have lost 13 times and drawn seven during this period, conceding a total of 48 goals including two in a 2-2 draw at Bochum last weekend, a game in which second-half strikes from Tim Skarke and Oscar Vilhelmsson rescued a point.
Torsten Lieberknecht is refusing to give up on survival just yet, even though he sees his side sitting rock bottom of the table and six points adrift of Mainz in 16th spot. A bottom-three finish is almost guaranteed, though, as they are 12 points behind Bochum in 15th place.
Darmstadt will be seeking to avoid becoming just the second team this millennium after Kaiserslautern in 2011-12 to endure a winless run of 21 Bundesliga matches when the face Mainz, a team that they last beat away from home back in November 1992 (1-0) when they were competing in the second tier.
Team News
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Mainz will be without Stefan Bell (heart inflammation) and Maxim Leitsch (muscle), while Nelson Weiper, who has been sidelined since September last year with a long-term knee injury, is closing in on a return and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Dominik Kohr was forced to serve a one-match suspension last time out, but he is available to return on Saturday and could replace either Andreas Hanche-Olsen or Joshua Guilavogui in central defence.
Jonathan Burkardt is the 05ers' top scorer this term with only four goals and he is set to keep his place in attack alongside Ludovic Ajorque and Karim Onisiwo, although Lee Jae-sung could be recalled to replace one of the attacking trio.
As for Darmstadt, they are still having to cope without Marvin Mehlem (broken leg), Fabian Nurnberger, Fraser Hornby (both ankle) and Fabio Torsiello (muscle) due to injury, while Fabian Holland (groin), Andreas Muller and Patric Pfeiffer (both illness) are all doubtful.
After picking up his fifth yellow card of the season last time out, Klaus Gjasula will serve a one-game ban this weekend, so Tobias Kempe could deputise in midfield alongside Julian Justvan, Mathias Honsak and Braydon Manu.
Starke has scored eight goals this season, at least five more than any of his teammates, and the German is expected to continue in attack alongside Vilhelmsson.
Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:
Zentner; Van den Berg, Guilavogui, Hanche-Olsen; Widmer, Barreiro, Amiri, Mwene; Burkardt, Lee; Ajorque
SV Darmstadt 98 possible starting lineup:
Schuhen; Bader, Klarer, Isherwood, Karic; Justvan, Franjic, Kempe, Honsak; Skarke, Vilhelmsson
We say: Mainz 05 2-1 SV Darmstadt 98
Just like the reverse fixture, a closely-contested encounter could be in store this weekend between two teams desperate to claim all three points, aware that a draw will not benefit them too much in their quest to avoid the drop.
Taking into account the hosts' slight upturn in form under Henriksen as well as the miserable winless run of the visitors, we can see Mainz coming out on top to put Darmstadt on the brink of relegation.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
