The Werkself will have to be on their toes if they are going to extend their run of wins in the Bundesliga. "Mainz have a team full of footballing ability. They make their opponents fight all the way. Players like John Cordoba and Yoshinori Muto are top strikers. They play with a lot of intelligence so we'll have to be on our guard," explained the coach.
Previous meeting as warning
FSV Mainz 05 have lost their last six away games in the Bundesliga. However, that fact does not diminish the difficulty of the challenge as Roger Schmidt explained: "We saw in the previous meeting how strong Mainz are on the break if we’re not tight enough at the back. We had to produce a great second half to turn the game round. We can learn a lot from the match earlier in the season."
Schmidt assessed the performance of his players against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League as, "not at all disappointing. We didn't produce a perfect performance and, at this level, you get punished by one of the top European teams. The match was complicated but we never lost our courage. We want to use this experience to secure a third league win in succession at Mainz."
There is not much change in availability since Tuesday night. Hakan Calhanoglu is still suspended. Jonathan Tah is still injured. Danny da Costa also misses out. Schmidt said: "Danny got a kick on the toe." The prospects are "positive" for Lars Bender. Schmidt: "It's looking good. But it's still unclear whether he can play tomorrow. I'll wait for the final pre-match training session and then I'll talk to him." Wendell, who picked up a third yellow card against Augsburg last week, will have to watch the match from the stands.
Bayer 04 expect a crowd of 27,000, including 1,000 supporters from Mainz. Tickets will be available on the day.
Bayer 04 have signed left-back Carolin Simon from champions Bayern Munich for the coming season. The 33-year-old former Germany international, who played for Leverkusen from 2013 to 2016, has signed a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Women have strengthened for the coming season with the signing of Lobke Loone. The 23-year-old Dutch striker joins from Utrecht on a contract until 30 June 2028.
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The Werkself returned from the near one-month break in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga with a convincing victory at home. Roberto Pätzold's side beat SC Freiburg 4-1 on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Katharina Piljic, Estrella Merino Gonzalez, Cornelia Kramer and Carlotta Wamser ensuring a 13th win of the season at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. The Black and Reds, who are now on 40 points, move up to fourth place at least overnight.
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The fifth consecutive derby win over 1. FC Köln was a hugely significant one in terms of the battle for the UEFA Champions League places. Goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, speaking for the whole team, dedicated the 2-1 victory in the cathedral city to the travelling support: "I'm especially happy about this victory for our fans!" Get the rest of the reaction from those involved and the media, as well as some impressive stats on two-goal hero Patrik Schick and a look at the all-time Bundesliga table, in the Werkself Review.
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