Mainz 05 take on Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga on Monday, with the visitors competing for the first time in over three weeks after suffering a COVID-19 outbreak in April.
Mainz, meanwhile, have moved five points clear of the relegation zone after three successive victories.
Match preview
It has been a remarkable turnaround for Mainz since appointing Bo Svensson as their manager at the turn of the year, with the 41-year-old winning half of his 16 matches in charge to all but guide them to safety.
Die Nullfunfer lost each of their opening six matches of the season and were marooned alongside Schalke 04 at the bottom of the table during the winter break, but a shock 2-1 win against league leaders Bayern Munich continued a fine run of form, which has seen Svensson's side remarkably take 16 points from the last 18 on offer.
Jonathan Burkardt and Robin Quaison handed the hosts a two-goal half-time lead against the Bavarians, who were surprisingly lacklustre given that a victory would have wrapped up a ninth successive Bundesliga title for them.
Robert Lewandowski's injury-time strike proved nothing more than a consolation goal, with Mainz hoping to move further away from FC Koln and Hertha - who currently occupy the relegation playoff position and first automatic relegation spot respectively - on Monday.
While Hertha's position in the table looks ominous, Pal Dardai's side do have the advantage of two or three games in hand on most sides in the division after their recent COVID-19 outbreak put a pause on their season.
Die Alte Dame have not taken to the field since the 2-2 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach on April 10, with Dardai's side squandering an excellent opportunity to record a victory on that day after Gladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer was sent off in only the 13th minute.
At this stage of the season it is points on the board which ultimately count for more than anything, with Hertha heading into Monday's meeting against Mainz three points behind Koln and four points behind Werder Bremen and Arminia Bielefeld in 14th and 15th places respectively.
Given that Werder have lost seven successive league matches, Hertha should feel confident of catching them in particular given that they have three matches in hand on them.
However, with five league matches to come in the next 13 days, fatigue could be a major issue for Dardai's players after more than three weeks away from competitive action.
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- L
- W
- D
- D
Team News
Mainz's only absentees are fringe players Luca Kilian and Paul Nebel, who are both facing a race against time to feature this season due to hip and foot injuries respectively.
Svensson may choose to reward the same XI which dispatched Bayern, but Stefan Bell, Jean-Paul Boetius and Daniel Brosinski in particular will be pushing hard for recalls.
There remains much uncertainty surrounding the Hertha players' availability, meanwhile, after self-isolation rules were enforced on them in mid-April.
Rune Jarstein, Marvin Plattenhardt and Dodi Lukebakio are all doubts due to the virus, while Luca Netz and Eduard Lowen have been ruled out for the rest of the campaign due to injury.
Alexander Schwolow will stay in goal, with Krzysztof Piatek likely to replace Lukebakio in attack should the forward be unavailable as expected.
Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:
Zentner; St Juste, Bell, Niakhate; Da Costa, Latza, Barreiro, Mwene; Quaison, Burkardt, Onisiwo
Hertha Berlin possible starting lineup:
Schwolow; Klunter, Stark, Dardai; Zeefuik, Ascacibar, Guendouzi, Mittelstadt; Cordoba, Piatek, Cunha
We say: Mainz 05 2-1 Hertha Berlin
Mainz have been flying of late, so it is hard to see a potentially rusty Hertha side gaining the positive result they need here.
While they should still carry enough attacking threat to score against the hosts, we expect Mainz to all but wrap up their deserved safety for another season.
Top tip
body check tags ::
