With seven consecutive victories to start the season, improbable leaders Mainz have matched a Bundesliga record. Coach Thomas Tuchel has rotated his squad and changed his tactical plans on a weekly basis, but each performance has included similar themes: confidence, tactical discipline, and tremendous effort from his players. The team’s outstanding start has even led club manager Christian Heidel to publicly announce that he is considering offering Tuchel an indefinite contract extension.
Before fans and management get too carried away, however, there is a Bundesliga title to win. Mainz face a tricky test against Hamburg, and their task will only be made more difficult by the recent international matches.
“An international break with so many call ups will always complicate our preparation,” Tuchel told the official Mainz website. “We will not complain, but we must take this into account.”
In recent days, Tuchel has made the best of his situation with rigorous training sessions for those not called up to national teams. Many of his anticipated starters only returned to training on Thursday, and some took part in 180 rigorous minutes during the last week. Regardless, Tuchel has vowed to stick to his principles in Saturday’s clash.
“We will play a ball-oriented style and try to hold up the pace and be active in the game,” the coach said. “We recognise that only a top performance against HSV will earn us points. But we have a chance if we stay true to our style and go to the limits.
Third Place In Sight
The season’s start has been a bit of a mixed bag for Hamburg. Die Rothosen won their first two matches, but then suffered a four-game winless streak that included a pair of losses. They cut their losses in round seven with a victor over Kaiserslautern, but with all things considered, HSV are short of their ideal table spot, in seventh place.
Accompanying their run of less-than-ideal form is a long list of casualties that only increased during the international break. Of coach Armin Veh’s first-choice line-up, three players will be missing on Saturday, along with a number of influential substitutes. Even so, Veh was light-hearted about his team’s situation.
“Maybe we will just go to Mainz with 17 players. I can only substitute three anyway,” he joked. When asked about the squad that would be available on Saturday, Veh defiantly replied, “We have a powerful team.”
Veh also refused to comment on the significance of the match to Mainz, and instead stressed the importance from a Hamburg perspective.
“For us, it’s an important game. Now we will see where the journey takes us. To advance to third is only two points, but the two leaders are already far away. So naturally, we want to keep pace.”
TEAM NEWS
Mainz
Only long-term casualty Heinz Mueller has been ruled out of Saturday’s match, but Tuchel’s first-choice line-up remains a mystery. In-form attackers Andre Schuerrle, Lewis Holtby, and Adam Szalai are expected to start, but there may be rotation in the fullback postions. Any two of Florian Heller, Niko Bungert, Christian Fuchs, and Malik Fathi will start.
Probable Starting XI: Wetklo – Heller, Svensson, Noveski, Fuchs – Polanski, Karhan, Soto – Holtby – Szalai, Schuerrle
Hamburg
Dennis Aogo, Dennis Diekmeier, Romeo Castelen, Son Hueng-Min, Miroslav Stepanek, and Tunay Torun remain injured, and joining them on the sidelines will be Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, who has fallen ill with a viral infection, and Eljero Elia, who has a foot injury. As well, David Jarolim is doubtful. On the bright side, Marcell Jansen is expected to make his long-awaited return in the left back position.
Probable Starting XI: Rost – Demel, Westermann, Mathijsen, Jansen – Pitroipa, Kacar, Ze Roberto, Trochowski – Guerrero – Van Nistelrooy
Prediction
Hamburg are capable of controlling a match, but if they can replicate the form they showed over the first seven matchdays, Mainz should make history. There’s no reason to bet against them at the moment, especially as they square off against a Hamburg side that has occasionally looked very susceptible at the back.
Mainz 3-1 Hamburg 
