Hamburger SV vs. 1. FSV Mainz 05 preview: Both teams look for first goal and win

Hamburger SV and Mainz 05 battle on Sunday as they both search for their first win of the season.

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Hamburg entertain Mainz in the penultimate matchday 2 game of the Bundesliga as the two teams are yet to register their first goal of the campaign.

Hamburger SV

HSV bosses were busy closing deals on deadline day after HSV’s poor showing in the first Topspiel of the season. Merlin Polzin’s side were thoroughly dominated by Borussia Dortmund despite the respectable 2-0 scoreline.

However, the excitement is palpable ahead of the first home game of the season after they signed three players in the final hours of the transfer window. Fábio Vieira signed on a permanent deal after his impressive season on loan, while Zakaria El Ouahdi and David Møller Wolfe arrived at Volksparkstadion to fill the gaps in fullback positions.

Team News

HSV’s latest signings are all candidates to improve last week’s lineup. However, Louis Lemke will hope to make his full debut at Volksparkstadion weeks after becoming the first 16-year-old to score for the club.

Mainz 05

On the contrary, Mainz did their business early in the market. The 05ers even allowed Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Marco Richter to depart late without signing replacements. The former joined Robert Lewandowski at Chicago Fire, while Richter is now a free agent after they agreed on a contract termination.

Urs Fischer’s side looked to be a bit weak in squad depth compared to last season, but there will be no European nights this time around. The experienced coach started the campaign with a goalless draw with newly-promoted Paderborn last week.

Team News

Dominik Kohr, who suffered a late injury against Paderborn minutes after coming close to breaking the deadlock, is out of the game. Eric Martel has to wait longer for his Mainz debut, but Stefan Posch is now ready for the starting lineup.

Head-to-Head

HSV recorded their biggest victory back in Bundesliga in this fixture last term. Rayan Philippe, who has now joined Paderborn on loan, scored twice in a 4-0 victory against Bo Svensson’s men. With Fischer in charge of Mainz in the return fixture, star figures Nadiem Amiri and Fábio Vieira were on target as the sides shared the spoils at Mewa Arena.

Predicted Lineups

Click here to see our predicted HSV vs. Mainz 05 lineups.