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Eintracht are hoping to build on the point earned in Naples when they take on Mainz at Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday evening.

How things stand

“We didn’t lose and the clean sheet was good for our morale, for the defence and for the whole team,” said Arthur Theate after the hard-fought 0-0 draw away to SSC Napoli in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. “I hope we can build momentum from this.”

As such, the Eagles are full of confidence as they head into their upcoming game against Mainz 05 at Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday 9 November (kick-off 19:30 CET).

“You need that aggression and to defend from the front in order to force the opposition to make decisions and to force them to play the ball sideways or backwards,” said board member for sport Markus Krösche in Naples. “That was the key to us keeping a clean sheet. That’s what we need to do every week and in every game. If we do that, we’ll win a lot of matches.” 

Mainz also face Italian opposition in Europe this week with a home fixture against ACF Fiorentina in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday. Bo Henriksen’s side may still be unbeaten in that competition, but they’ve had a rocky start to 2025/26 overall, with just five points from nine Bundesliga outings leaving them in 17thplace.

The Eagles are currently nine points better off following the recent home win over St. Pauli and the draw in Heidenheim, putting them eighth in the standings. Looking back

Eintracht have marginally had the upper hand against Mainz of late, losing just one of the teams’ last 10 Bundesliga meetings – a 3-1 reverse in Frankfurt in December 2024. Before that, the Eagles had won three consecutive home games without conceding. The last time Eintracht lost back-to-back assignments against Mainz was between May 2019 and June 2020.

This weekend marks the 18th time Mainz will head to Frankfurt for a top-flight game. Of the previous 17, Eintracht have won nine, drawn four and lost four, while an average of 2.29 goals per game were scored across that period.

Reunion

It will obviously be a special occasion for Jonathan Burkardt, who joined Eintracht from Mainz over the summer. He is the 05ers’ record goalscorer in the Bundesliga with 41 in 136 outings.

The forward has found the net six times in the league since his move, putting him second overall behind Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, while he has scored a further three in the Champions League.

This will be the first time the 25-year-old has faced his former club, whom he represented for 11 years between 2014 and 2025. Friendships will be put aside on Sunday, though, as he looks to add to his goal tally for Eintracht.