FSV Mainz 05 go into the 2026-27 season asking a fairly straightforward question: can they avoid another slow opening and build on a far calmer finish? They were rock bottom after 16 matchdays last season with just nine points, then recovered to finish 10th in 2025/26. Urs Fischer has been in charge since December 2025, and this is the first full campaign where his ideas can set the tone from day one.

Amiri's role at the centre

The main reason for optimism is Nadiem Amiri, even if Mainz cannot lean on him alone. He contributed 12 goals and two assists in the Bundesliga last season, a total that made him the clearest attacking hub in the side. Amiri is 29 and more often than not wears the armband on the pitch, which fits the kind of role Mainz want him to keep playing.

Amiri also told fans this summer that he's going nowhere, which takes one obvious distraction off the table. If Mainz are going to start better, they need that continuity in midfield and they need Fischer's preferred 3-5-2 shape to settle quickly. Fischer teams tend to be quite settled in a 3-5-2 formation with one physical and one fast striker, so the structure around Amiri should be clear enough from the outset.

Gruber and the first stretch

There is also a more practical reason Mainz are backing this shape: Fabio Gruber. The 23-year-old arrived after moving from Verl to Nuremberg one year ago, and last season he won 61 percent of his duels and completed 84 percent of his passes for Nuremberg. That profile should help Mainz add some reliability at the back without asking him to do too much too soon.

The opening run looks important as well. Mainz begin with Paderborn at home, Hamburg away and Eintracht Frankfurt at home. Over the past six campaigns, they have managed only one win in the first 10 games on three occasions, which is exactly why the first few weeks matter so much to Fischer.

Mainz's 9-0 DFB Cup win away at fifth-tier Krieschow is not a league marker, but it did at least show a group that looks settled and ready to carry some confidence into the new season. A calm first month would go a long way here, and the fixture list gives Fischer a real chance to avoid another scramble from the bottom end of the table.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →