Wolfsburg vs Mainz Preview: Team News & Prediction
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Wolfsburg arrive home full of confidence following their 1-3 win on the road last weekend whilst for Mainz, it was the opposite story.
Kick-off date/time:
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Wolfsburg preview: Ideal away performance
For Wolfsburg to open up the 2025-26 campaign with three points on the road is a huge boost to the confidence of their squad and with momentum in their favour, combined with an excited fanbase looking forward to welcoming them back to the Volkswagen Arena, there’s plenty of be optimistic about from new boss Paul Simonis’ point of view.
Aside from not gaining a clean sheet, the former Go Ahead Eagles head coach could not have asked for a better start to life in Germany with his side having racked up 12 goals across two games in all competitions so far, following a 0-9 mauling of lower league club Hemelingen in the DFB-Pokal.
Mainz preview: Memorable comeback
Whilst the overload of fixtures this early in the season is not ideal, Mainz fans won’t be complaining after a night to remember this past Thursday night at MEWA Arena. Trailing two goals to one on aggregate to Rosenborg in their Europa Conference League play-off, Mainz proceeded to turn the tie around, winning 4-1 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate, stunning the Norwegians and sending Bo Henriksen’s side to the league phase.
However, these European exploits do come at a cost, especially for a relatively small squad like that of Mainz. Between those two legs, Henriksen’s men were beaten 0-1 at home to newly promoted FC Cologne, with the team perhaps running out of steam late on, allowing the visitors to grab a winning goal. This leaves Mainz still without a point in the Bundesliga.
Wolfsburg team news: Late calls over two
The hosts will no doubt give full-backs Joakim Maehle and Rogerio every chance to prove their fitness ahead of this encounter. However, it comes too soon for Jesper Lindstrom, Kevin Paredes and Denis Vavro.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Grabara; Fischer, Jenz, Koulierakis, Zehnter; Arnold, Vinicius; Skov Olsen, Majer, Wimmer; Amoura
Unavailable: Lindstrom (Injured), Paredes (Injured), Vavro (Injured)
Questionable: Maehle (Injured), Rogerio (Injured)
Mainz team news: Nebel out after red card
Mainz’s defeat against FC Cologne was compounded by the sending off of winger Paul Nebel on the hour mark, which renders him suspended for this game. He joins three injured players on the sidelines, including Benedict Hollerbach.
Predicted XI (3-4-3): Zentner; Da Costa, Hanche-Olsen, Kohr; Caci, Maloney Amiri, Mwene; Sieb, Weiper, Lee
Unavailable: Dal (Injured), Gleiber (Injured), Hollerbach (Injured), Nebel (Suspended)
Questionable:
Wolfsburg vs Mainz prediction
Whilst Mainz’s European comeback will have no doubt given the side huge injection of momentum leading into the weekend, their physical condition will be tested to the limit once again here. Wolfsburg are likely to have more of the ball and it’s likely to be extremely punishing for the Mainz players with just three days between fixtures compared to Wolfsburg’s full week.
As what looked to be the case last weekend, it would be no surprise if Mainz ended up running out of the steam the longer this match goes on, allowing Wolfsburg to overload them offensively. When taking into account how impressive Simonis’ men looked at Heidenheim, backing them to beat Mainz is very much warranted.
Wolfsburg vs Mainz tip: Wolfsburg to win
