Havelse vs Mainz 05 12/09/20

12 September 2020

Havelse and Mainz 05 go head-to-head at the Opel Arena in the first round of the DFB Pokal this weekend.

Currently competing in the Regionalliga Nord (fourth tier), Havelse enjoyed a strong start to the season, beating Oberneuland 2-0 on the road. It now means that the hosts (on paper) are unbeaten in four competitive games (W2, D2), last season included. Going back to October 2019, free-scoring Havelse have scored over 1.5 goals in eight of nine competitive fixtures! Alexander Kiene can’t rely on the benefit of the home ground, though the fact his men have avoided defeat in six of their previous road trips may provide him with some comfort (W4, D2). Again, Havelse’s free-flowing attack netted 2+ goals in five of those six trips.

Meanwhile, none of Mainz’s last six Bundesliga matches in 2019/20 ended in a draw (W3, L3), with five of those results (wins/losses) seeing the winner on the day keep a clean sheet. Curiously, while all three of their wins during that six-game sequence yielded the identical 1-0 scoreline, each of their wins came via a two-goal margin. But, a genuine lack of firepower up front has seen ‘Die Nullfünfer’ draw a blank in four of nine competitive home games this calendar year and score precisely once per match in three of the other five. Despite running out 2-1 winners in two their only previous competitive H2Hs, it’s worth noting that this will be Mainz’s first encounter with Havelse since 1991.