
The Football Faithful
·27 September 2025
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Yahoo sportsThe Football Faithful
·27 September 2025
Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund go head-to-head in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon at the Mewa Arena.
Both sides enter this fixture amid contrasting fortunes. After a tough start, Mainz will look to build on their first league victory of the season while Dortmund aim to continue their impressive unbeaten start to the campaign.
Mainz faces significant personnel challenges heading into this crucial fixture. Captain Dominik Kohr will serve a suspension after receiving a second yellow card in their 4-1 victory against Augsburg. The midfielder’s absence represents a major blow to Bo Henriksen’s side, with the Danish coach acknowledging that “Kohr’s power is important for our team”.
Mainz 05’s Armindo Sieb is set to retain his place at the forefront of the attack for this weekend’s Bundesliga clash. Head coach Bo Henriksen confirmed during Thursday’s press conference that the on-loan forward will be handed a second straight start, opting for Sieb ahead of Nelson Weiper, who continues to struggle for form. Sieb found the net in last week’s emphatic 4-1 victory over Augsburg, further strengthening his claim for a starting berth.
Anthony Caci has suffered a serious setback with a muscle tendon injury in his right thigh sustained during the Augsburg match. Arnaud Nordin will probably directly play as the right wingback, or he will take the role of the left wingback, and Mwene will go to the right, or Widmer will directly replace Caci in the right wingback role.
Andreas Hanche-Olsen remains unavailable due to a head injury, while Daniel Gleiber is out with a hip problem, and Maxim Dal continues his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury. Benedict Hollerbach is doubtful with a hamstring issue, though there is optimism surrounding Jae-sung Lee’s return to training in a limited capacity.
Stefan Bell, Nadiem Amiri, and Robin Zentner are all being eased through the week as Mainz take a precautionary approach amid their growing injury concerns.
Dortmund coach Niko Kovač has provided positive news regarding summer signing Fabio Silva, who has been partially integrated into training. “Fabio has done more this week. We’ll see to what extent he can be an option for the squad,” Kovač stated.
Niklas Süle and Silva could both be available after missing recent matches through injury. However, Emre Can remains out with a groin problem, while Julien Duranville continues his recovery from shoulder surgery. Aarón Anselmino is also out for the weekend, as stated by Kovac. Serhou Guirassy suffered a knock but should be fine.
Kovac also talked about Nico Schlotterbeck’s return from injury, noting that the centre-back has “coped well”, but that the club will continue to monitor him closely.
Henriksen’s side finally broke their winless streak with an emphatic 4-1 victory away to Augsburg last weekend. The triumph marked their first Bundesliga victory of the 2025-26 season after suffering defeats to RB Leipzig and defeats in their opening fixtures. Armindo Sieb scored in the victory, with Dominik Kohr and Paul Nebel also finding the net.
However, Mainz’s home form remains a concern, having lost both their league matches at the Mewa Arena this season by identical 1-0 scorelines. Bo Henriksen’s side have conceded in all of their league matches and failed to keep a clean sheet in 11 top-flight games.
Kovač’s team have maintained their excellent form under the Croatian coach, extending their unbeaten Bundesliga run to 12 matches dating back to last season. Dortmund have won three consecutive league games, each coming with a clean sheet. Their most recent outing saw them edge VfL Wolfsburg 1-0 at home, with Karim Adeyemi scoring the decisive goal in the 20th minute.
Serhou Guirassy leads the Bundesliga scoring charts and has found the net in eight consecutive league matches. The striker has provided Dortmund with a reliable source of goals, having netted 19 times last season. Dortmund currently sit second in the table with 10 points, two points behind champions Bayern Munich, and boasts the joint-best defensive record in the division with just three goals conceded.
Mainz 05: Zentner; Bell, Leitsch, Da Costa; Widmer, Sano, Amiri, Mwene; Nebel, Nordin; Sieb
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson; Adeyemi, Beier; Guirassy
UK fans can watch the game on Sky Sports as part of their comprehensive Bundesliga coverage.
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