Mainz confirm loss of starting keeper Robin Zentner for several games | OneFootball

Current last-placed Bundesliga team FSV Mainz 05 have more bad news to contend with. The Rheinhessen have played an especially poor league campaign. Prior to a Conference League defeat on Thursday, the carnival club could at least take solace in the fact that they held a spotless record in Europe. That is no longer the case. Mainz lost both the match and their No. 1 keeper. 

On Saturday, Mainz confirmed that the adductor injury that led to starting keeper Robin Zentner being subbed off CS Universitatea Craiova in the 24th-minute will keep the 31-year-old out of action for “several games“. Head coach Bo Henriksen will once again have to rely upon back-up Lasse Rieß, perhaps until the winter break. Mainz face SC Freiburg in a crucial Bundesliga fixture later today. 

Zentner has started all but three of Mainz’s matches thus far this year, yielding to Rieß during the opening round DFB Pokal victory against Dynamo Dresden and been forcibly absent for due league games due to a suspension. Rieß kept a clean sheet in the Pokal and also held Craiova to only one goal in Thursday’s defeat. 

Unfortunately, despite a somewhat encouraging performance in his second league start, Rieß allowed in a total of eight goals in his Bundesliga fixtures against Hamburger SV and Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Mainz have lost a critical pillar of stability in the midst of an alarming league campaign that may see them have to worry about seriously about contesting the relegation race.

GGFN | Peter Weis