Mainz vs Olomouc – News and Probable Lineups

With the first leg finishing without a goal, Mainz 05’s upcoming home match in the Conference League’s round of 16 against Sigma Olomouc at Mewa Arena on Thursday stands delicately balanced.

Neither team exhibited much attacking intent during their encounter last week, being one of only two round of 16 ties that concluded without a goal in the initial match.

Match overview

Mainz not only achieved their first clean sheet in five matches after the draw in the first leg but also managed to score twice against Werder Bremen without conceding in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

The club has consistently been difficult to defeat, having lost only twice in their last 16 matches, and they remain unbeaten in their last five fixtures.

Urs Fischer’s squad drew four times during that unbeaten streak, scoring only six goals, and have netted just three times in their last four European matches.

It could be argued that Die Nullfunfer might be better off being knocked out of the Conference League, as they are currently in danger of relegation from the Bundesliga, with only three points and three positions separating them from the drop zone.

Mainz will feel confident about overcoming the visitors, given their impressive record of seven unbeaten fixtures at Mewa Arena, during which they have secured five victories.

Sigma could manage only one shot on target during the first leg—a long-range attempt—but they deserve recognition for restricting Mainz to just two shots on target throughout the match.

Tomas Janotka’s side had found the back of the net in their previous seven Conference League fixtures, and their clean sheet was their first in any of their nine matches in this competition this season.

The Czech team is competing in the knockout rounds of a European tournament for the first time since the 2004-05 season, although they did reach the semi-finals of the Intertoto Cup before being eliminated by the German side Borussia Dortmund in the 2005-06 campaign.

Hanaci enter Thursday’s match having won four and drawn three of their last seven games across all competitions, with four of those matches seeing them score two or more goals.

Sigma’s away form has been inconsistent; while they aim to extend their winning streak on the road to four matches, they have recorded two wins and two losses in their last four away games in the Conference League.

Team News

With Mainz missing centre-backs Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Stefan Bell, Fischer is likely to rely on Danny da Costa, Stefan Posch, and Dominik Kohr.

The hosts’ options have been limited further by the injury of defensive midfielder Nadiem Amiri, which may necessitate a heavier reliance on Paul Nebel, Kaishu Sano, and Jae-Sung Lee once again.

Phillip Tietz and Silas Katompa Mvumpa both featured in forward positions for the first leg and will be keen to maintain their spots in the starting XI.

As Sigma’s defender Jan Kral is unavailable due to injury, expect Abdoulaye Sylla, Filip Slavicek, and Jakub Elbel to comprise a back three.

Forward Vaclav Sejk will be eager to break the deadlock on Thursday, although he will require his fellow attackers Danijel Sturm and Antonin Rusek to deliver their best creativity.

Mainz 05 probable starting XI:

Batz; Da Costa, Posch, Kohr; Widmer, Nebel, Sano, Lee, Mwene; Tietz, Mvumpa

Sigma Olomouc probable starting XI:

Koutny; Sylla, Slavicek, Elbel; Sip, Beran, Barath, Lurvink; Sturm, Rusek; Sejk

Mainz benefits from playing the second leg at home, where Mewa Arena has recently become a stronghold for them.

Sigma Olomouc has limited experience at the knockout stage of European football, and their inconsistent away form suggests their run in the Conference League may conclude on Thursday.