Mainz welcome Wolfsburg to MEWA Arena on Saturday afternoon, with the hosts aiming to get their Champions League push back on track after a recent run of poor results. Once riding high in the top four following a four-match winning streak earlier this year, Bo Henriksen’s side have now gone four games without a victory and risk losing ground in the race for a European place. Last weekend’s 2-0 loss at Hoffenheim was a particular setback, with Mainz dominating possession and creating chances, but ultimately being punished by a clinical brace from Andrej Kramaric.

The defeat leaves Mainz in fifth place, two points adrift of RB Leipzig, who currently occupy the final Champions League spot. With just five games remaining, the margin for error is narrowing fast. However, Henriksen’s men have every reason to feel confident at home, where they are unbeaten in their last 10 Bundesliga outings. MEWA Arena has become something of a fortress, and the team will hope that their strong home form can carry them through another crucial test.

Wolfsburg arrive in Mainz in the midst of their worst run of the season. Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side have lost four games in a row, most recently suffering a 3-2 defeat at home to RB Leipzig. The scoreline flattered the Wolves slightly, as they trailed 3-0 early in the second half before mounting a late, but ultimately futile, fightback. With that result, Wolfsburg dropped to 12th in the table, and any faint hopes of European football next season are slipping away. They now find themselves seven points behind sixth-placed Freiburg, with time quickly running out.

Ironically, Wolfsburg have been more effective away from home this season than at the Volkswagen Arena. They’ve collected 23 of their 38 points on the road—only Leverkusen, Bayern and Werder Bremen have picked up more in away matches. But even that record has been dented by their current slump, and their lack of cutting edge in attack is becoming a concern. Mohamed Amoura, their top scorer, hasn’t found the net in his last three Bundesliga games, though he did notch a hat-trick for Algeria during the international break in March.

Both teams are dealing with key absences. Mainz will be without Paul Nebel after his red card against Hoffenheim, while long-term injuries continue to sideline Philipp Mwene and Maxim Leitsch. In Nebel’s place, Hyun-Seok Hong is expected to step into the attacking midfield role. Wolfsburg, meanwhile, lose Yannick Gerhardt to suspension after he picked up his fifth yellow card, compounding an already thin midfield with Lovro Majer and Mattias Svanberg still unavailable.

All signs point to a closely contested game. Wolfsburg are desperate to stop the rot and could prove dangerous on the counter, but Mainz’s strong home form and the urgency of their top-four ambitions should give them the edge.

With their unbeaten home run and greater motivation, Mainz should have enough to see off a Wolfsburg side struggling for form and consistency. Expect a tight encounter, but one that tilts in the hosts’ favour as they look to stay in the Champions League hunt.

美因茨将于周六下午在MEWA球场欢迎沃尔夫斯堡，东道主希望在最近的糟糕战绩后将他们的欧冠推回到正轨。今年早些时候，博·亨里克森的球队在四连胜的情况下高居前四，现在已经四场比赛没有获胜，在争夺欧洲席位的竞争中可能会失去优势。上周末0 - 2输给霍芬海姆的比赛是一个特别的挫折，美因茨控制了控球权并创造了机会，但最终被克拉马里奇的一个冷静的进球所惩罚。

这场失利使美因茨排名第五，与目前占据欧冠最后席位的莱比锡RB相差2分。在只剩下五场比赛的情况下，失误的空间正在迅速缩小。然而，亨里克森的球员们有充分的理由在主场感到自信，他们在过去的10场德甲比赛中保持不败。MEWA竞技场已经成为了一个堡垒，球队希望他们强大的主场状态能够帮助他们度过另一个关键的考验。

沃尔夫斯堡在本赛季最糟糕的比赛中抵达美因茨。拉尔夫·哈森<e:1>的球队已经连续输掉了四场比赛，最近的一场比赛是在主场3比2输给莱比锡RB。这一比分让狼队稍感欣慰，他们在下半场一开始就以3-0落后，后来又发起了一场徒劳的反击。这样的结果使得沃尔夫斯堡在积分榜上跌至第12位，下赛季进入欧洲赛场的希望也随之破灭。现在他们发现自己落后第六名弗赖堡7分，时间不多了。

讽刺的是，沃尔夫斯堡本赛季在客场比在大众球场更有效率。他们的38分中有23分是在客场取得的，只有勒沃库森、拜仁和云达不莱梅在客场取得了更多的积分。但即使是这样的记录也被他们目前的低迷所削弱，他们在进攻端的缺乏锋线正成为一个问题。他们的头号射手穆罕默德·阿莫拉在最近的三场德甲比赛中都没有进球，尽管他在三月份的国际比赛日为阿尔及利亚完成了帽子戏法。

两支球队都在处理关键的缺阵问题。在对阵霍芬海姆的比赛中，保罗·内贝尔因红牌缺阵，而长期受伤的菲利普·姆温尼和马克西姆·莱奇也将缺阵。在内贝尔的位置上，洪贤锡有望担任进攻中场的角色。与此同时，沃尔夫斯堡在领到第五张黄牌后失去了雅尼克·格哈特（Yannick Gerhardt），他将被禁赛，这使得已经很单薄的中场雪上加霜，马耶（Lovro Majer）和思文凯（Mattias Svanberg）仍然缺阵。

所有迹象都表明这是一场势均力敌的比赛。沃尔夫斯堡迫切希望阻止这种颓势，但美因茨强劲的主场状态和争夺前四的迫切愿望应该会给他们带来优势。

凭借他们不败的本垒打和更大的动力，美因茨应该有足够的力量击败沃尔夫斯堡在状态和稳定性方面苦苦挣扎的球队。期待一场势均力敌的比赛，但这场比赛将对东道主有利，因为他们希望留在欧冠的争夺中。