FSV Mainz 05 – Eintracht Frankfurt
Loud drums, red scarves – and a situation that has both camps electrified: In the midst of the final sprint, Mainz 05 (7th in the table) welcomes third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt to the MEWA ARENA. The first leg was a surprise 3-1 win for the Rheinhessen, but Frankfurt are traveling full of confidence after their brilliant 4-0 win over Leipzig. Bo Henriksen will continue to be without injured defensive stalwarts Anthony Caci and Moritz Jenz, while Dino Toppmöller will be counting on Hugo Ekitiké up front, who is in fine form with fifteen goals this season, four of them in the last nine games. Ninety minutes in which Mainz desperately needs points for Europe and Frankfurt wants to cement third place: the stage is set.
Mainz – Frankfurt info
- Venue: MEWA ARENA, Mainz
- Date and time: May 4, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
- Competition: Bundesliga (Matchday 32)
Mainz form & record check
Mainz 05 is in a results crisis: five league games without a win, most recently a 0-3 defeat at Bayern and only a 2-2 draw at home against Wolfsburg. In four of these games, the team was already behind at half-time, forcing them to put in a constant effort in the second half. There are flashes of inspiration in attack, but without the injured Caci, Jenz and Dal, there is a lack of stability in the build-up play. No wonder that at least two goals were scored in all five games – but never three points for the Rheinhessen.
Henriksen is likely to stick with a 3-4-2-1 formation: Zentner in goal; da Costa, Hanche-Olsen and Bell in a back three. Mwene and Sano will operate on the wings, with Kohr and Amiri in the center. Up front, Lee and Nebel will look to create chances for Burkardt. The absences of Caci, Jenz, and Dal significantly limit the team’s options.
Frankfurt Form & Record Check
Frankfurt is presenting itself as a united team in the season finale. Unbeaten in five Bundesliga games, including a 4-0 win over Leipzig, SGE sits in third place with 55 points. Remarkably, Toppmöller’s team has conceded very little after taking the lead at halftime, with four of its last five competitive games seeing fewer than 1.5 goals in the second half. Ekitiké continues to deliver in attack, with Knauff and Bahoya benefiting from the space. Only the absences of Mario Götze and Junior Dina Ebimbe limit the creative options in the center.
Frankfurt also sticks with a 3-4-2-1 formation: Trapp in goal; Tuta, Koch, and Theate form the defense. Collins and Brown play on the wings, with Skhiri keeping things balanced in midfield alongside Larsson. Up front, Knauff and Bahoya swirl around striker Ekitiké. Götze and Dina Ebimbe are missing, but that shouldn’t change the basic formation.
H2H Mainz – Frankfurt Head-to-head & statistics
The record in the last five head-to-head matches is two wins for Frankfurt, two draws and one win for Mainz. It is striking that Frankfurt scored at least once in each of these games, while Mainz always conceded goals. In addition, SGE won the second half four times in a row, with rarely more than one goal scored after the break (under 1.5 goals in four games). So if you pay attention to trends, there are clear arguments in favor of Frankfurt – even if Mainz’s 3-1 win in December shows that surprises are still possible.
