Risse v Fuchs the Key Battle for Bundesliga Leaders Mainz 05
Surprise Bundesliga leaders Mainz 05 will be looking to maintain their 100% record as they play host to Schalke this Sunday. The visitors have been in indifferent form so far and will need to pick themselves up from a 2-0 midweek away defeat at Helsinki in the Europa League qualifiers.
Likely Line-Ups
Mainz 05 should continue with the 4-2-3-1 formation that has shot them to the top of the table, with Marcel Risse excelling out on wide right in recent games. The contribution of Elkin Soto in defensive midfield has been crucial of late and his tough tackling has helped the club concede just one goal in their two fixtures so far.
Schalke will be hoping their defeat at Helsinki was just a blip- they had previously thrashed FC Cologne 5-1 at home last weekend but having now lost two away games in all competitions, the signs aren’t looking good. After being rested for the trip to Helsinki, Raul should return in his role behind Jan Klaas-Huntelaar for the visitors, despite being linked with a move to Blackburn Rovers. The presence of Christoph Metzelder will be missed in the heart of defence - he was subbed off after just 13 minutes against Cologne- with Kyriakos Papadopoulos his likely replacement.
Mainz Midfield Warriors
The league leaders’ game is based on a solid defence and the ball-winning defensive midfield pair of Elkin Soto and Eugen Polanski. Mainz haven’t conceded more than one goal in any of their last seven Bundesliga games and much of this is down to the number of challenges the team make- on average, they’ve had 24 tackles per game compared to Schalke’s 14- the worst of any team in Germany’s top-flight.
Soto and Polanski will be relishing the challenge and Schalke will need to battle if they are to avoid being bullied in the crucial central area. Soto has made 4.5 tackles per game so far, in addition to 4 interceptions. He’s also won 100% of aerial duels- an outstanding defensive contribution that has seen him pick up a WhoScored.com rating of 7.73.
Polanski is the creator of the pair- he’s made 2 key passes per game compared to Soto’s minimal 0.5. His defensive game, while not quite on the same level of Soto, is still, nonetheless, impressive- 3 tackles per game, as well as 1 interception and 50% aerial success, has brought him a WhoScored.com rating of 7.30 so far.
Key Battle
Marcel Risse is the man most likely to make things happen for Mainz. He has 1 goal and 1 assist already- given that his side have only scored 3 goals, it’s easy to see how crucial his contribution has been. Stop Risse, and Schalke will increase their chances of picking up the points.
A look at the Mainz player positions (right) for the recent victory at Freiburg show how far forward he played. Risse (23) was his club’s most prominent attacking source, despite being stationed wide right in the aforementioned 4-2-3-1. A look at this player position map (left) from the 5-1 thrashing of Cologne highlights just how much Schalke’s 4-2-3-1 depends on their full-backs getting forward. Fuchs’ (23) average position was past the halfway line and is indicative of his attacking nature.
Risse averaged 3 shots and 2 successful dribbles, looking to take on defenders and get a shot away whenever in possession. Risse has made only 0.5 key passes per game, though playing so far forward, his job is not to create so much as finish. As a result, he’s made just 15.5 passes per game, the lowest of any Mainz player, though when in possession Risse been lethal. He’s picked up a WhoScored.com rating of 7.63 in 2011/12, the best of any player for the league leaders.
Jan Klaas-Huntelaar may have grabbed the headlines for his hat-trick against Cologne last week, but he’s lacked any consistency and was anonymous in the opening day defeat at Stuttgart. Christian Fuchs, on the other hand, has been a constant creative source from left-back. He has averaged a brilliant 4 key passes, the highest of any Schalke player- Raul is next best with 2, an illustration of Fuchs’ recent performances- the left-back can think himself more than a little unlucky not to have picked up an assist as of yet.
Fuchs is second best for successful crosses, with 3 per game, and has also averaged 1 shot per game. Defensively, his stats are not quite so impressive- 1 tackle and 1.5 interceptions per game is average at best, though his contribution going forward has helped Fuchs to a WhoScored.com rating of 7.24 per game.
His attacking nature may have to be somewhat tempered, however; if Fuchs continues to bomb forward in such a manner he’s liable to leave Risse the room to wreak havoc and send Schalke to another defeat on the road. Their showdown looks an intriguing one and looks likely to be the crucial match-up this coming Sunday.
