Cup hangover on both sides as Elversberg host Mainz to open Bundesliga round
Both were knocked out of the German Cup by second-tier sides this week and sit level on 10 points. Mainz may be without captain Amiri, and coach Fischer says the Bochum loss still stings.
Archive image · Photo: Simon Mannweiler / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Promoted SV Elversberg host Mainz 05 at 8:30 p.m. local time on Friday to open the Bundesliga's eighth round, with both clubs level on 10 points. Both arrive after German Cup exits to second-division opposition: Elversberg lost 2-0 to Darmstadt despite outshooting them 26-7, while Mainz went down 2-0 at VfL Bochum.
Mainz coach Urs Fischer admitted the defeat was still on his mind. "You can't completely get it out of your head, it's still smouldering in me," he said, adding that his team must rediscover the basics that made it strong. Captain Nadiem Amiri is doubtful after a lay-off with knee problems.
Elversberg coach Vincent Wagner said his side face "a powerful team with an incredible amount of quality." Elversberg also lost 4-0 at Leipzig last weekend.