Highlights

Matchday 1

FINAL

MEWA ARENA

1. FC Union Berlin

74'

BénesLászló Bénes

AmiriNadiem Amiri

53'

H. Osmers

MEWA ARENA

Full-time: Mainz 1-1 Union Berlin

After a quiet first half, the game burst into life in the second half as the teams ended with a share of the spoils. Nadiem Amiri's fantastic free-kick gave Mainz the advantage, but László Bénes' brilliant response from outside the area restored parity. While there were chances for both teams late on, they both have to settle for a point.

Full-time

90'

+ 8

Yellow card

Robin Gosens

90'

+ 6

Huge chance

A wasted opportunity for Mainz to snatch all three points! Rønnow can only parry a shot into a dangerous area but, from close range, Burkardt is unable to keep his effort down.

90'

+ 4

Sieb over

The substitute's attempt bounces into the ground and over.

Bénes strikes

The former HSV man may have earned Union a share of the spoils.

90'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Benedict Hollerbach32.85km/h

Dominik Kohr32.84km/h

Kevin Vogt31.59km/h

87'

Bénes tests Zentner

The Mainz goalkeeper is being kept busy this time, tipping the Union new boy's attempt over the bar.

85'

Substitution

Nelson Weiper

Kaishu Sano

85'

Zentner saves

The Mainz shot-stopper needs to be alert to stop Jordan from prodding home.

85'

Substitution

Paul Nebel

Anthony Caci

83'

Substitution

Leopold Querfeld

Kevin Vogt

Mainz break the deadlock

Amiri's lovely free-kick had put them in the ascendancy...

76'

Substitution

Armindo Sieb

Karim Onisiwo

75'

Back on level terms!

Mainz needing a stunning strike to break the deadlock, and Union have on of their own in response! Making his first Bundesliga appearance in two years, substitute Bénes hammers into the back of the net from outside the area, albeit with a slight deflection of Sano.

74'

László Bénes

GOAL!

1:1

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

7 %

Shot speed

Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.

100.06 km/h

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

18.8 m

72'

Substitution

Tim Skarke

Benedict Hollerbach

72'

Substitution

László Bénes

András Schäfer

72'

Substitution

Janik Haberer

Christopher Trimmel

71'

Drinks break

The players take a breather on what is a very hot day in Mainz. Union have around 20 minutes left to find an equaliser.

65'

Substitution

Yorbe Vertessen

Lucas Tousart

61'

Onisiwo over

Mainz are cranking up the pressure now. Onisiwo is next to go close, flicking a header narrowly over the bar.

54'

Mainz have the advantage!

The hosts are in front thanks to a moment of magic from Amiri, who curls a brilliant free-kick over the wall and into the top corner. Mainz have lift-off!

53'

Nadiem Amiri

GOAL!

1:0

Goal probability

7 %

Shot speed

Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.

102.68 km/h

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

24.15 m

52'

Yellow card

Danilho Doekhi

51'

Amiri denied!

Rønnow needs to produce a fingertip save to prevent Amiri from scoring directly from a corner.

51'

Strong start

Die Nullfünfer has shown plenty of intent in the opening stages of this second period.

46'

Underway again

The second half has started here in Mainz.

Kick-off!

Half-time: Mainz 0-0 Union Berlin

A tight first half comes to an end. There was little to talk about in the way of clear-cut chances, with Benedict Hollerbach's attempt which was tipped over the bar by Robin Zentner the only dangerous shot on target. Still, both teams have shown intensity and are not far away from creating a real opening.

Half-time

45'

+ 3

Yellow card

Lucas Tousart

44'

Onisiwo over

A header from the Mainz forward sails over the bar.

43'

First shot on target

Hollerbach works some space in the box, and Zentner is needed to push his shot over the bar.

31'

Substitution

Stefan Bell

Maxim Leitsch

31'

Early blow for Mainz

Henriksen is forced to make an early substitution, with Bell replacing Leitsch.

30'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Benedict Hollerbach32.42km/h

Lucas Tousart30.48km/h

Jonathan Burkardt30.35km/h

20'

Lee over

The first real opening for the hosts. Lee is in plenty of space in the middle of the box and is found by Onisiwo, but he can't keep his header down as it loops over the bar.

19'

Bodies on the line

Every time either team gets in a strong position to shoot, a defender is in the way to block it.

16'

Evenly-matched

There really isn't much between the teams so far in this one.

Possession (%)

5050

Yellow card

Dominik Kohr

Combative start

The two teams are eager not to give an inch at the start of this campaign.

Up and running!

The first Bundesliga Saturday of the 24/25 campaign is underway!

Kick-off!

0:12

Watch: Union Berlin warm up at Mainz

The visitors have been out on the pitch to prepare for their Bundesliga opener.

Union starting XI

Rønnow - Doekhi, Vogt, Leite - Trimmel (c), Khedira, Tousart, Gosens - Hollerbach, Schäfer - Jordan

Union subs

Schwolow, Jaeckel, Querfeld, Rothe, Haberer, Bénes, Skarke, Kemlein, Vertessen

Mainz starting XI

Zentner - Kohr, Leitsch, Hanche-Olsen - Caci, Kaishu, Amiri, Mwene - Burkardt (c), Lee – Onisiwo

Mainz subs

Rieß, Bell, Da Costa, Barkok, Nebel, Richter, Veratschnig, Sieb, Weiper

Henriksen on facing Union Berlin

“I'm happy with the preparations. There are no more excuses. We don't need to say anything, we don't need to talk anymore. We have to show what we can do. I think everyone is looking forward to this beautiful game on Saturday. That's the most important thing for us."

Svensson on facing his former club

“I'm looking forward to it. I'm going back to a place where I spent a very, very long time as a player and also as a coach afterwards. I worked there in many, many roles, assistant coach, youth coach and so on. It's a special place for me. My youngest son was born there. I'm looking forward to seeing, meeting and greeting lots of good old, familiar faces."

Probable line-ups

Who’s set to play this weekend? Who’s going to miss out? Keep up to date with all the latest team news right here!

14:42

Watch: Mainz’s drama-filled journey to the Bundesliga

After three agonising near misses, Mainz finally earned Bundesliga promotion under Jürgen Klopp in 2004.

Union boosted

Despite a number of departures, Union have been busy adding new talent to their squad. Highly rated Dortmund academy graduate Tom Rothe has landed after helping Holstein Kiel to promotion, while László Bénes, Leopold Querfeld and Ivan Prtajin should provide Svensson with plenty of options.

Ins and outs at Mainz

Mainz have had a tricky summer, losing two star performers from last season in Brajan Gruda and Leandro Barreiro. Kaishu Sano has arrived from Japanese outfit Kashima Antlers, while Bayern Munich loanee Armindo Sieb will be one to watch.

Opening wins

Both Mainz and Union won their opening competitive matches of the season in the DFB Cup, but neither did so entirely convincingly. Union beat Regionalliga side Greifswald by just a single goal, while Mainz needed extra time to overcome third tier Wehen Wiesbaden.

Pre-season outlook

Both sides had largely positive pre-season campaigns, with Mainz winning all but one of their matches, including a 3-1 victory over Ligue 1 outfit Montpellier. Union, meanwhile tasted defeat against Lyon, but racked up draws against tough opponents in Real Sociedad and Rangers, while also beating Dynamo Kyiv.

4:08

Previous meeting: Mainz 1-1 Union Berlin

Despite a season opening 4-1 Union win in the pairs first meeting, their second and most recent was far closer. Jonathan Burkardt and Robin Gosens both scored in a chaotic first-half injury time period.

Battle of the Bo's

Henriksen's opposite number on Matchday 1 is none other then ex-Mainz boss Bo Svensson, hired by Union at the end of May. This will be Svensson's 98th Bundesliga game as a coach. His first 97 were spent on the Mainz bench.

Mainz motoring under Henriksen

Bo Henriksen guided the 05ers to safety with a superb run of nine unbeaten games at the end of a dramatic 2023/24 campaign. The Dane will be keen to see his side keep that sequence going into a new season.

Union's strong start

The Berliners will look to repeat their feat of a 4-1 victory against Mainz on the opening day of last season, when Kevin Behrens (now at Wolfsburg) scored a hat-trick for the Irons in the German capital.

Survival specialists

Mainz and Union breathed a collective sigh of relief at the end of last season when both managed to secure their survival on the final day of 2023/24!

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 1 fixture between 1. FSV Mainz 05 and 1. FC Union Berlin.