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Mainz flying high, Stuttgart lost Didavi as well

After seven points in the last three rounds, optimists already see Mainz in the Europa League, but that is not a realistic option in the long-term. In Stuttgart, however, one bad thing is coming after another, their best player got injured the day before the game and a lot of preparation was in vain

After Eintracht, Mainz also won at HSV, and they are at great 7th position on the league table. Here is how coach Martin Schmidt commented on their latest success at Volkspark stadium:

- This was more of a stressful win than a lucky win, but we looked like a team for the majority of the game and that paid off. We were a bit stiff at the start though, but that first goal (Jairo, 16th minute) relaxed us and everything went in our favor after that. 

The squad situation in Mainz is also good, after midfielder Frei started training after a longer absence, the only players out are defenders Soto and Balogun who are not their key players anyway. Good form, wide bench, a staggering rival, everything from their perspective points out to another good night for them, but Schmidt will pull the break and calm the euphoric mood:

- Stuttgart are better than the standings might suggest, the games is which they were completely outplayed are rare, they were actually often better than their opponents and unluckily lost some points. So we shouldn't take their standings for granted, and as far as we are concerned, we are not thinking about Europe as some are already suggesting, we are still focused on keeping our advantage over our competition. 

Whatever way you perceive Stuttgart, it is clear that they have ahead of them a long path of getting away from the bottom of the league table, the game against Werder proved that, the Germans simply aren't able to keep the same pace throughout all 90 minutes and that won't take then far in the long-term. Temporary coach Jurgen Kramny was aware of that:

- We are all disappointed that we didn't win this game, we played well in the first half, but we completely dropped in the second half. Werder knew how to use our passiveness, and if we want to win, we will have to extend the period in which we control the situation on the pitch. 

Tonight, however, it will be even more difficult for them to control the situation, since Didavi was written off for the game in the last minute, he is their playmaker and basically the only one who knows to slow down when it is necessary. Logical substitute for him is Maxim, even though he is nowhere near as good, and they will probably return to the 4-2-3-1 formation, since the version with only one defensive midfielder didn't work against Werder. 

- Mainz are one of the most efficient teams in Bundesliga, they have been in great form lately and we will need something special to defeat them. I still haven't worked out the tactic completely, but I will definitely ask the midfielders to provide Werner more support, he is playing well but he is alone in the offense too often - said Kramny, who started his coaching career in Mainz's youth teams and he knows their mentality well. 

The position on the league table doesn't reflect the realistic quality difference between today's opponents, Mainz definitely aren't that much better than Stuttgart which should be confirmed in the Spring part of the season, but I believe that they will use the home field advantage here and earn their third straight win. Because the fact that they are currently in their best period this season is indisputable, and coach Schmidt is having sweet worries regarding the lineup. Considering the condition in the rival team, all of their basic prerequisites for their new success are fulfilled.
One of them is Daniel Didavi's injury (which is what prompted me to write this prediction), who was Stuttgart's only bright spot during Harnik and Ginczek's absence (five goals, four assists), and without him the away team's already unconvincing offense will probably be even less dangerous. And we shouldn't even waste words on the defense, 36 conceded goals in 15 rounds is an information that speaks for itself.