Mainz 05 vs. FC Köln preview: Die Geißböcke make Bundesliga return | OneFootball

Mainz 05

Mainz face the difficult task of matching their success from the memorable 2024-25 campaign. Die Nullfünfer collected 52 points from 34 matches to secure Conference League qualification via a sixth-place finish - their best finishing position since 2015-16.

Unfortunately for Mainz, they have seen last season’s topscorer, Jonathan Burkardt, leave for fellow Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt. Die Nullfünfer have recruited Benedict Hollerbach as Burkardt’s replacement, while they have also signed Kasey Bo, Sota Kawsaki and Konstantin Schopp during the summer transfer window.

Bo Henriksen’s side kicked off the new campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over second-tier Dynamo Dresden in the DFB-Pokal. However, they will head into Sunday’s fixture in a downbeat mood after losing 2-1 in the first leg of their Conference League playoff tie against Rosenborg. Nadiem Amiri gave Mainz the lead in Norway with a stunning long-range strike, but they ultimately failed to hold on to their advantage, leaving them with work to do in Thursday’s home leg.

As a result, Mainz will have one eye on that return fixture as they prepare for their Bundesliga opener against Köln. The hosts are looking to extend their 13-game unbeaten home league run, which stretches back to last October.

Team News

Mainz forward Nelson Wieper is currently not with the first-team squad due to an ongoing contract dispute with the club.

Hollerbach should lead the line for the home side, while Amiri will be looking to continue his strong start to the season after finding the net in Mainz’s opening two competitive matches.

Predicted lineup: Zentner; Da Costa, Bell, Kohr; Caci, Kaishu, Amiri, Mwene, Nebel, Lee; Hollerbach

FC Köln

After being relegated in 2023-24, Köln won the 2.Bundesliga title last season to seal an immediate return to the top flight. Gerhard Struber oversaw the majority of the campaign before he was dismissed in May with just two games left to play following a dip in form. Freidhelm Funkel came in to see Köln over the line, before handing the reins over to Lukas Kwasniok in the summer.

They have made a number of signings ahead of their Bundesliga return, including the likes of Ran van den Berg, Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson, Ragnar Ache and Marius Bülter. Die Geißböcke will hope that those new additions can help them avoid a repeat of last Bundesliga campaign, when they finished in 17th place with just 27 points to their name.

Köln will head into the weekend in a positive mood after recording a 2-1 victory in their recent Pokal clash against third-tier Jahn Regensburg. However, they will face a much tougher test in Sunday’s fixture, especially as they have failed to win any of their last three away games against Mainz since recording a 1-0 victory in December 2020.

Team News

Kwasniok has confirmed that Luca Kilian will miss the league opener through injury. Meanwhile, Leart Paçarada, Imad Rondić, and Jacob Christensen will not feature after being deemed surplus to requirements by Kwasniok.

Predicted lineup: Schwäbe; Schmied, Hübers, Özkacar; Sebulonsen, Martel, Jóhannesson, Lund; Thielmann, Kaminski, Bülter