High-flying Mainz 05 travel to the Rhein-Energie-Stadion to face FC Koln in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The hosts showed signs of improvements last weekend after a worrying run of form.

Match preview

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That improvement for Koln was ending a six-game winless run which had caused some panic over potentially being dragged into the relegation fight.

Their 3-1 win at Augsburg came at the right time for Steffen Baumgart, who may have started feeling the pressure as Koln slid down the table.

However, the Billy Goats now find themselves eight points clear of trouble - a healthy buffer which does allow for some breathing room.

A concerning stat heading into this encounter is the fact they have not won back-to-back games yet this season, and their recent home form does not offer much encouragement.

Firing a blank in their last three home games suggests they may struggle to build on that positive result - another blank would mean four straight home games without scoring for the first time in almost a decade.

Koln can take solace from their historical record at home to Mainz though, as they have never lost a Bundesliga game on home soil to their upcoming opponents in front of a crowd - their only ever defeat came behind closed doors in 2021.

This Mainz side will definitely put that record to the test though, as they are performing brilliantly under Bo Svensson.

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Incredible late drama saw them draw 2-2 with Werder Bremen last weekend in a game they walked away from devastated having not picked up all three points.

After taking the lead in both the 85th and 93rd minute, Mainz were remarkably pegged back immediately twice by Werder, with their second equaliser coming in the 95th minute.

Despite that late disappointment, Svensson's side extended their unbeaten run to eight games - the longest such streak in the Bundesliga at present.

Only Borussia Dortmund have picked up more points in that time than Mainz's 18, as they keep their European challenge alive.

Sitting seven points off a Champions League place means it will be tough, but not impossible for Mainz, especially if they can sustain this form until the end of the season.

Tightening up defensively will be important though if they want to aim for the European places, as they have scored in 13 successive Bundesliga games.

Team News

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Ellyes Skhiri is suspended for Koln after picking up a fifth booking of the season last weekend.

The Tunisian will be a big miss for the hosts, as his six goals this season have all come in 2023, and all in important games too.

He scored away to Bayern Munich in a 1-1 draw, grabbed the opening goal last weekend plus notched two in a 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in February.

On the injury front, Mark Uth and Sebastian Andersson will be out until the end of April, while Florian Dietz will not feature again this season due to an ACL tear.

Jonathan Burkardt is the only absentee for Mainz, with the 22-year-old attacker nursing a knee injury.

Svensson has been very reluctant to change his side of late, and with good reason given their recent form, so they could remain unchanged.

FC Koln possible starting lineup:
Schwabe; Schmitz, Hubers, Chabot, Hector; Schindler, Huseinbasic, Martel, Kainz, Maina; Selke

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:
Zentner; Fernandes, Bell, Hanche-Olsen; Widmer, Barreiro Martins, Kohr, Stach, Caci; Ingvartsen, Ajorque

We say: FC Koln 0-2 Mainz 05

Despite having a relatively poor record away to Koln, Mainz did beat them 5-0 in the reverse fixture back in October, and are in much better shape.

Koln have struggled to build on good results this season and could come undone again on home soil.


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