Preview: Hamburger SV vs Mainz 05 - prediction, team news, lineups

Hamburger SV and Mainz 05 are both on the hunt for points this Sunday afternoon, with both teams set for a tasty Bundesliga encounter at the Volksparkstadion.

Newly-promoted Rothosen have only managed two goals and one win this season, while Die Nullfunfer also boast just one victory since the start of the new campaign.

Match preview

It took Hamburg seven years to escape the clutches of the second tier, though promotion has not come without its problems, with the club still struggling to adjust to life at the top level.

Merlin Polzin’s men kicked off their campaign with a goalless draw at Borussia Monchengladbach, and they followed it up with a couple of bruising defeats to arch rivals St Pauli and defending champions Bayern Munich.

Their wait for a Bundesliga win eventually came to an end a fortnight ago, with HSV managing a 2-1 victory over Heidenheim – a memorable result for the fans who have not seen their side triumph in a top-flight game since May 2018.

Polzin’s side were not able to go back-to-back against Union Berlin last weekend, but the team did hold on for a point away in the capital – one which could be crucial come the end of the season, considering the club are tipped to be in the thick of the survival battle.

Mainz have so far managed to accumulate one point fewer than Hamburg, though to their credit, they are currently balancing domestic and continental duties.

Bo Henriksen’s men finished sixth in the league last season, though emulating that will be a difficult task considering the club are trying to battle on two fronts with limited resources.

Last Thursday, Mainz kicked off their Conference League campaign with a 1-0 win away at Omonia, though time for celebrations was short considering they are now gearing up for a potentially tricky visit to the Volksparkstadion.

The last three meetings between the two clubs in Hamburg have all ended in goalless draws, and considering the way both teams started their Bundesliga campaigns, a fourth such result is not out of the question.

Then again, Mainz scored four goals at Augsburg in their last away league match this season, and they will be hoping to capitalise on their six-match unbeaten run against Die Rothosen.

Hamburger SV Bundesliga form:

D L L W D

Hamburger SV form (all competitions):

W D L L W D

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:

L D L W L

Mainz 05 form (all competitions):

W D L W L W

Team News

Hamburg’s summer acquisition Fabio Vieira is suspended for Sunday’s encounter after picking up a red card in the goalless draw with Union Berlin last time out.

Warmed Omari sustained an ankle injury in that same game and is set to be out for several weeks.

Midfielder Silvan Hefti, on the other hand, is expected to miss out through a recurring hip injury.

Mainz, on the other hand, will have to cope without their starting goalkeeper Robin Zentner, who received a straight red card against Borussia Dortmund last weekend.

Lasse Riess is expected to take his place, which would mark his first Bundesliga start since a 4-1 win over VfL Bochum last May.

Teenage defender Mazim Dal remains sidelined with a knee injury, while Anthony Caci is currently nursing a muscle problem.

Hamburger SV possible starting lineup:

Heuer Fernandes; Ramos, Vuskovic, Torunarigha; Gocholeishvili, Remberg, Capaldo, Muheim; Philippe, Konigsdorffer, Dompe

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:

Riess; Da Costa, Hanche-Olsen, Kohr; Widmer, Sano, Amiri, Mwene; Nebel, Lee; Sieb

We say: Hamburger SV 0-0 Mainz 05

Hamburg have failed to find the back of the net in four of their five Bundesliga games this season – that is not an encouraging statistic by any stretch of the imagination.

Mainz, on the other hand, will be somewhat fatigued by their second away trip in four days. With that in mind, we are backing another goalless draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.