Mainz 05 travel to Stade Europa-Park on Saturday to face SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga. Freiburg have started the season strongly, sitting in the Champions League places and ahead of defending champions Bayern Munich.
For Mainz, their indifferent form sees them sitting in eighth, but a win here would see them go level on points with Freiburg.
Match preview
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Christian Streich has seen his Freiburg side make a strong start to the season, both domestically as well as in the Europa League, and their recent 3-0 victory away to European regulars Olympiacos showcased their quality in attack.
It is not just their attacking form that is getting plaudits though, with Freiburg going into this game on the back of three consecutive clean sheets and six for the season.
Freiburg even topped the Bundesliga after five games and their progress is clear to see, having finished sixth last season.
Their tactical fluidity is also a sign of their evolution under Streich, who likes to switch systems during the game, and their set-piece proficiency is a key part of their success, with more than a third of their goals coming from set pieces last season.
Defensive stability has also been key to their success, with Matthias Ginter and Philipp Lienhart proving to be a formidable duo at the heart of Freiburg's defence. The recent 0-0 draw away at Hoffenheim was an example of this, as Freiburg restricted the home side to just three shots on target.
It will be interesting to see how Freiburg juggle a congested fixture list before the World Cup, with 13 fixtures in three competitions sure to provide selection headaches, particularly for a club not accustomed to this level of intensity.
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Comparatively, the form of Mainz has been indifferent and inconsistent to leave them eighth in the table, although they are just two points off Hoffenheim in fourth.
One player who has found early form this season is forward Karim Onisiwo, the Austrian netting three times in the Bundesliga already, and he will be key if Mainz are to take all three points.
Their most recent Bundesliga game saw them rescue a late point at home to Hertha Berlin when, despite dominating most of the match, it took an added time Anthony Caci equaliser to avoid defeat.
Manager Bo Svensson guided Mainz to eighth in his first full season at the helm, so finishing in the Europa Conference League places would be the next step forward. A trip to Freiburg therefore should prove to be a test of how far his side have come.
Team News
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Freiburg have a relatively clean bill of health going into the game on Saturday.
Roland Sallai will however miss the visit of Mainz as he recovers from a fractured eye socket injury sustained last month.
Kimberly Ezekwem is the only other absentee, but the left-back has yet to feature this season, having picked up the injury at the back end of pre-season.
For Mainz, Edmilson Fernandes and Marlon Mustapha look set to miss Saturday's game, nursing ankle and muscle injuries respectively.
Jonathan Burkardt remains doubtful for the trip to Freiburg, as he is recovering from a flesh wound picked up last month.
Alexander Hack serves the final game of his suspension, having been sent off in Mainz's 4-1 away defeat at Hoffenheim last month.
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Sildillia, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter; Eggestein, Hofler; Doan, Kyereh, Grifo; Gregoritsch
Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:
Zentner; Widmer, Bell, Leitsch; Fernandes, Barreiro, Kohr, Caricol; Fulgini, Lee; Onisiwo
We say: Freiburg 2-1 Mainz 05
Just three points separate the two sides, but recent form and home advantage might just be the decisive factor here. Freiburg come into the game on the back of three clean sheets in all competitions, whereas Mainz's recent form has been slightly more questionable.
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