Despite the recent slump, Mainz will be hopeful of ending their campaign strongly and achieving a place in Europe next season and welcome Hamburg, who have have all but survived relegation, and remain confident of a mid-place finish, when they travel to the Coface Arena, tomorrow at 14:30 BST.
Form
In light of rare inconsistent form, Mainz may well have ruined their chance of Champions League football for next season. Throwing away a two-goal lead at home to Köln will undoubtedly have upset the apple cart, not to mention losing away to relegation-threatened Eintracht Frankfurt, albeit as a result of harsh luck.
Despite their recent sour run, Martin Schmidt's side remain just in contention for a Top 4 finish, due to the incompetence of rival sides. It can be noted too that Mainz face fourth-placed Hertha BSC on the last matchday, so there is extra incentive to continue to fight in their not-so-trivial pursuit.
After coming out on top in two back-to-back relegation play-offs, Hamburg can breathe a lot easier as their place in the top flight is all but secured. Last week's triumph in the Nordderby has pushed die Rothosen six points above Werder Bremen, with three games remaining. This much needed win comes on the back of an unsurprising poor run where Bruno Labbadia's men failed to win in five games, but a mid-table finish will cap off a fine season.
It was Mainz who came out on top in the reverse fixture at the Volksparkstadion, winning 1:3 as a result of a decisive brace from Jairo, featuring a goal of the season contender.
Squad sitrep
As has been made common knowledge, Leon Balogun and Julian Baumgartlinger are suspended for tomorrow's match. The Nigerian defender has been given a three-match ban for kneeing Eintracht centre-back Carlos Zambrano in the stomach.
Hitman Yoshinori Muto remains out for the rest of the season, whereas Gaëtan Bussmann, Niko Bungert, Danny Latza, Philipp Klement, Yunus Mallı and Emil Berggreen remain doubtful. Elkin Soto is back in training.
As for the opposition, a flurry of players amongst the likes of Dennis Diekmeier and Ivo Iličević remain a doubt for the trip to the Coface Arena. Austrian international Michael Gregoritsch and Derbysieger-hero Pierre-Michel Lasogga are suspended. On-loan Gladbach forward Josip Drmić is out for the season.