Two teams wey dey carry serious unbeaten runs go face each other for Europa Conference League quarter-final dis Thursday. Mainz 05 go welcome Strasbourg to Mewa Arena for dia first-leg showdown. Die Nullfunfer dey come into dis clash dey look for dia fourth straight win, while Le Racing dey eye third win for back-to-back.
When Mainz appoint Urs Fischer back for December, di club dey face threat of relegation from Bundesliga after tough opening to di campaign. But e go fair to say say di former Union Berlin and Basel boss don revitalise di team. Most recently, Die Nullfunfer follow up dia impressive 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on March 22 by downing Champions League hopefuls Hoffenheim by same scoreline on Saturday, courtesy of brace from Phillip Tietz.
Dat triumph extend Fischer side undefeated streak to eight matches across all competitions, as well as lift dem up to ninth for German top flight. Dem go come into dis quarter-final with drastically more confidence than dem play through di league phase with. To reach dis stage, Mainz beat Czech club Sigma Olomouc for Conference League round of 16, drawing 0-0 for first leg before go on to progress thanks to 2-0 triumph for return fixture at Mewa Arena.
Kicking off di final eight on dia own turf dis time around, di hosts go dey keen to take lead into di away contest. Considering say Die Nullfunfer don win all five of dia home matches for UEFA third-tier competition dis season, fans go dey cautiously optimistic.
Meanwhile, Gary O'Neil don establish commendable unbeaten run of his own since taking di reins at Strasbourg, for wake of ex-manager Liam Rosenior departure to Chelsea. Le Racing top di Conference League league phase to reach di round of 16, before make dia way past Croatian champions HNK Rijeka 3-2 on aggregate with 2-1 win for road on March 12, and 1-1 stalemate at Stade de la Meinau one week later.
All-in-all, O’Neil men never taste defeat for Europe dis season, winning six and drawing two of dia eight outings. Dat stretch include noteworthy 2-1 triumph over Crystal Palace on November 27. Much like dia opponents, di Ligue 1 side sign off prior to international break with victory – 3-2 against Nantes – and return to action with another win, downing Nice 3-1 on April 4.
Those wins mean say Strasbourg dey now unbeaten for 10 games, spell wey go back to surprising 2-1 loss against Le Havre for early February. And say O’Neil only been beaten twice across his 16 matches for Le Racing dugout. However, if weakness dey to glean from visitors form, e be say dem don win just two of dia last five away contests, drawing twice and losing once.
Mainz get extensive injury list to contend with dis week, especially for defence, where dem dey miss centre-backs Stefan Bell (knee), Andreas Hanche-Olsen (muscle) and Maxim Dal (knee), as well as right wing-back Anthony Caci (tendon) and goalkeeper Robin Zentner (groin). For dia absence, Fischer fit opt for back three of Danny da Costa, Stefan Posch and Dominik Kohr in front of shot-stopper Daniel Batz, flanked by Silvan Widmer and Phillipp Mwene.
Elsewhere, midfielder Nadiem Amiri dey sidelined due to heel issue, while strikers Benedict Hollerbach and Silas Katompa Mvumpa dey out for di season with respective Achilles and ankle injuries. With dat for mind, Armindo Sieb fit join Phillip Tietz up top – given say fellow loanee Sheraldo Becker no dey for Mainz Conference League squad – supported by Paul Nebel, Kaishu Sano and Lee Jae-sung for centre of di park.
As for Strasbourg, dem go miss Joaquin Panichelli (who score twice against Nantes) after di striker suffer anterior cruciate ligament injury on March 26, though Gessime Yassine, Sebastian Nanasi and Martial Godo suppose dey on hand to start behind versatile Julio Enciso. Le Racing dey also without midfielder Junior Mwanga due to shoulder injury, as well as left wing-back Diego Moreira, who dey deal with sprained ankle, so Ben Chilwell and Guela Doue fit start at full-back, while Samir El Mourabet and Maxi Oyedele operate for double pivot.
Mainz don dey impressive since Fischer appointment, and dem go full of confidence coming into dis quarter-final on di back of three-game winning streak. However, Strasbourg don enjoy success for Europe under both Rosenior and O’Neil, and given say di former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss don preside over ongoing 10-match unbeaten run, di visitors likely to keep di tie even before di return fixture.
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