Mainz take precautionary approach amid growing squad concerns

Mainz are taking no chances after recent additions to their absentee list. Several players have been rested or placed on reduced training programmes early on this week to manage workloads.

Last season, Bo Henriksen’s side were largely spared serious fitness concerns, but their luck appears to have turned. With fixtures beginning to pile up across three competitions, Mainz are treading carefully. Stefan Bell, Nadiem Amiri and Robin Zentner are all being eased through the week, with the club unable to afford further setbacks. 

The biggest blow came on Monday when news broke that Anthony Caci had suffered a muscle tendon injury in his right thigh during the weekend’s 4-1 win in Augsburg. The French defender is expected to be sidelined until early 2026 – a huge loss that dampened the joy of Mainz’s emphatic away victory.

Henriksen must now reshuffle his defence. To make matters worse, Dominik Kohr – who is now the joint most-dismissed player in the Bundesliga – will miss Saturday’s league game after picking up a second yellow card for a challenge on Augsburg’s Han-Noah Massengo.

In terms of replacements, Silvan Widmer and Nikolas Veratschnig are the candidates to step in for Caci, with Widmer already featuring off the bench in Augsburg. For Kohr’s role, Stefan Bell seems the obvious choice. With 287 appearances for the club, his experience and leadership qualities are invaluable. While Henriksen still has depth at his disposal, these enforced changes reduce his rotation options ahead of next Thursday’s Conference League tie against Omonia.

There is at least some positive news. Jae-Sung Lee has returned to training in a limited capacity as he nears a comeback from his muscle injury, while Benedict Hollerbach is also close to returning, with only an infection keeping him sidelined this week.

Mainz welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Mewa Arena this Saturday (15:30 CEST), as they aim to build on the crucial win in Augsburg despite the absentees.