Mainz 05 will be looking to return to winning ways when they host Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga on Friday.
Hertha, meanwhile, recorded a respectable 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen last weekend.
Match preview
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In an otherwise dour first half away to Hoffenheim last weekend, Alexander Hack's 41st-minute dismissal left Mainz in a world of trouble heading into the second half.
It did not take the hosts long to break the deadlock, with Andrej Kramaric's 53rd-minute strike opening the floodgates, as Grischa Promel, Munas Dabbur and Pavel Kaderabek all got themselves on the scoresheet in a 4-1 drubbing.
Head coach Bo Svensson will at least have been pleased to see his side dig in and find a response through Dominik Kohr's consolation goal, and given the circumstances he will have sympathy for a team who have very rarely let him down since taking over in January 2021.
After Mainz recently lost 3-0 at home to Leverkusen, they responded with an impressive 1-0 win away to Borussia Monchengladbach, so the 43-year-old will be demanding something similar on Friday against a Hertha side they will expect to finish above in the table this season.
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That said, Hertha have made sizeable steps forward under their new coach Sandro Schwarz, who has helped guide his side to four points from their last two matches after a difficult start to life for him in Berlin.
Following their first win of the season away to Augsburg, Hertha ensured that they did not leave their entertaining clash against Leverkusen empty-handed, although Schwarz would have been disappointed to see his team fail to hold on after Marco Richter's 74th-minute strike had given them a 2-1 lead.
Kerem Demirbay and Suat Serdar had earlier exchanged blows in the opening stages of the second half, with Patrik Schick's late leveller probably making for a fair result in the end.
With Richter back in the fold after recovering from testicular cancer surgery to score two goals in two games, Schwarz will be confident that his side can score the amount of goals required to make them upwardly mobile in the Bundesliga, having looked competitive but with little cutting edge during the early weeks of the campaign.
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Team News
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Mainz will be without Hack for the visit of Hertha on Friday as he serves his suspension, with Niklas Tauer the likeliest candidate to replace him in Svensson's preferred back three after being substituted on at half time against Hoffenheim.
Marcus Ingvartsen and Anton Stach remain sidelined with injuries, while Jonathan Burkhardt may not be risked in the last match prior to the international break having suffered a flesh wound during the early stages of the defeat.
Delano Burgzorg replaced Mainz's talisman after 14 minutes and may do so from the start on Friday should Burkhardt be ruled out of action as expected.
Hertha, meanwhile, will travel without Rune Jarstein, Linus Gechter and Kelian Nsona, while it would be a surprise if Lee Dong-jun, Jessic Ngankam or Derry Scherhant are involved due to more minor issues.
Richter is pushing for a start having scored from the bench in each of his last two appearances, but Schwarz is likely to resist temptation at this early stage of the 24-year-old's recovery, with the international break providing crucial time for him to reach full fitness and be introduced to the starting XI.
As such, no changes are likely to be made for a third successive matchday, with the Old Lady finally finding some rhythm and confidence after a long period of poor form dating back prior to Schwarz's appointment during the summer.
Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:
Zentner; Tauer, Bell, Leitsch; Widmer, Kohr, Barreiro, Caricol; Lee, Burgzorg; Onisiwo
Hertha Berlin possible starting lineup:
Christensen; Kenny, Uremovic, Kempf, Plattenhardt; Tousart, Sunjic, Serdar; Lukebakio, Kanga, Ejuke
We say: Mainz 05 1-1 Hertha Berlin
Hertha have proven much tougher to beat during the early stages of Schwarz's reign, and we expect that to continue on Friday night.
Mainz are likely to be missing a couple of key players at both ends of the pitch, which the visitors can take advantage of by extending their unbeaten run.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Brett Curtis
