VfL Wolfsburg vs. 1. FSV Mainz 05 preview: Wölfe look to start 2-for-2 in new campaign | OneFootball

VFL WOLFSBURG

After a 3-1 victory against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 on the road last weekend, with Andreas Skov Olsen, Mattias Svanberg, and Mohamed Amoura the goalscorers, VfL Wolfsburg (1-0-0, 4th) play their first home match of the season, looking to improve from last year's performances at the Volkswagen Arena.

Home field advantage was not quite as evident for Wolfsburg last season as it was for other clubs. The club finished fifth-worst in the Bundesliga at 3-7-7, managing to finish 0-5-3 in the second half of the year; this ultimately led to the sacking of Ralph Hasenhüttl, after his team failed to consistently pick up points on away ground either.

In the two matches between Wolfsburg and Mainz last season, Die Wölfe won their home match 4-3, thanks to a late brace from Jonas Wind; the reverse fixture ended in a 2-2 draw, and the statistics in both matches were relatively even.

Paul Simonis spoke to the media in a press conference on Friday afternoon; one of the first topics was centre-back Moritz Jenz, who spent time on loan at Mainz last season but appears somewhat hesitant to remain in Wolfsburg.

Jenz has been the subject of a series of transfer rumours, but Simonis was clear regarding how he feels about the situation, especially with the long-term injury to Denis Vavro: “I said that he should stay here and I would like to see that he remains with us. I am glad that he is still here - I told him that he is now my number-one option in this position [RCB]”.

Simonis added that he spoke with Jenz about Mainz, and how Mainz's players integrate into their strategy. From his experience, Jenz told Simonis that Mainz is good at one-on-one battles: “He told me that Mainz is a very good opponent, with excellent players when it comes to one-on-one battles; it is good that Moritz knows this”, Simonis said in the press conference.

Regarding the recent loan deal for 20-year-old French right-back Saël Kumbedi, Simonis stated that Kumbedi will not be starting the match, and that Kilian Fischer remains the main right-back for the club. “He [Kumbedi] trained with us today, and he will be on the bench on Sunday. Kilian Fischer is still our number one, but now we have good competition”, the 40-year-old Dutchman said.

Team News

Left-back Rogério (muscle) will be absent from the squad, but is expected to return to the main team in early to mid-September. Joakim Mæhle (thigh), also at left-back, is expected to return within the next two weeks. The only serious defensive injury is centre-back Denis Vavro (muscle), who remains in the recovery process until December.

Right midfielder Kevin Paredes (ankle) is set to return in approximately three weeks, and newly-acquired Jesper Lindstrøm (groin) is projected to come back to the Volkswagen Arena around that same time.

1. FSV MAINZ 05

After a successful sixth-place Bundesliga finish in 2024/25, 1. FSV Mainz 05 (0-0-1, 14th) could not bring that momentum into the opening match of their new campaign; they lost to a newly-promoted 1. FC Köln side on a last-minute goal from Marius Bülter, and won approximately half of the statistical categories from that afternoon at the Mewa Arena.

Not helping the situation for Mainz is the fact that last year's top goalscorer, Paul Nebel, also picked up a red card in that match. However, the club is coming off a positive mid-week result, coming back from 1-2 down in their UEFA Conference League qualifying playoff with Rosenborg BK and managing to qualify for the league stage thanks to four goals within the first hour of the second leg.

Following that match, Henriksen said that Mainz's performance was “outstanding, both tactically and regarding the performance on the field; this is our DNA - that is what we want and what we can do”. He added that the club needs to bring the high-intensity style of play from the Rosenborg match to this upcoming match in Wolfsburg, adding, “We were, of course, much better; this achievement brings back memories of last season. We have to take this to Sunday”.

Henriksen said about his Mainz side, “We are confident, we have a good feeling that we are a decent team and it is excellent to have that feeling. That said, we know that we can win. Now, for us, we need to take the next step; we have to become better and better, this is our objective”.

Team News

Mainz have only two injuries to report: striker Benedict Hollerbach (hamstring), who arrived from 1. FC Union Berlin in the offseason, is projected to return in late September, while centre-back Maxim Dal (cruciate ligament) is much less fortunate, waiting until January before a return to the training ground could even be considered.