Sigma Olomouc vs. Mainz: UEFA Conference League round of 16 LIVE blog and team news

Mainz head to the Czech Republic to take on Sigma Olomouc in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League round of 16 tie on Thursday (kick-off: 9pm CET).

The 05ers’ long-awaited return to European competition now sees them take on a team from a seventh different nation, after fixtures against Omonoia Nicosia, Zrinjski Mostar, Fiorentina, Universitatea Craiova, Lech Poznan and Samsunspor in the league phase. Mainz finished that section in seventh place with a record of four wins, a draw and a defeat as they advanced directly to the round of 16.

Olomouc hadn’t played in the main stage of a UEFA competition since the 2004/05 UEFA Cup and they were the lowest ranked team to advance to the knockout phase, finishing in 24th and above two other teams on seven points by virtue of their superior goal difference and goals tally.

The Czech side therefore caused an upset as they knocked out ninth-placed Lausanne-Sport 3-2 on aggregate in the play-offs.

Follow the first leg below!

VS

Olomouc

Thu, 12.03 20:00

Mainz

Conference League
Round of 16, first leg Round of 16, first leg Andrův stadion, Olomouc

Phillip Tietz on facing Olomouc

"So far this has felt like any other away game. I am just pleased that we are playing a round of 16 tie and that I am able to be part of that."

© IMAGO/kolbert-press/Martin Agüera

Urs Fischer on facing Olomouc

"Mainz have never played a European round of 16 fixture before, so it's obviously very special. We want to do well and are looking forward to the challenge. I don't see us as favourites tomorrow. We have to focus on ourselves."

© IMAGO/Malte Ossowski / SVEN SIMON

Quarter-final opponents

Should Mainz prevail from this tie, they will come up against either Strasbourg or Rijeka in the last eight.

© IMAGO/Gerhard Schultheiß

Olomouc win in Czech league

Mainz's opponents prepared for this encounter with a narrow 2-1 win at Jablonec on Matchday 25 of the Czech top tier.

1:08

Watch: Mainz 2-2 Stuttgart - highlights

Danny da Costa rescued a late point for Mainz in Stuttgart. The 05ers are 14th in the Bundesliga, two points clear of the relegation zone ahead of a couple of key Sunday fixtures involving teams below them.

The venue

The first leg will be held at the 12,500-capacity Andrův stadion in Olomouc.

© imago sportfotodienst

Sigma Olomouc - the story so far

The Czech Republic outfit finished the league phase in 24th - the final knockout phase play-off place - and only just. Two wins, one draw and three defeats meant they squeezed in ahead of Universitatea Craiova by virtue of goals scored, the two teams having each had seven points and a -2 goal difference. In they play-offs they got the better of Lausanne-Sport 3-2 on aggregate to set up this tie with Mainz.

© IMAGO/Carla Botica / SPP

Mainz - the story so far

Mainz finished seventh in the league phase with 13 points following four wins, one defeat and one draw. As such, they skipped the knockout phase play-offs and went straight through to the round of 16.

© IMAGO/Marc Schueler

Hello and welcome

Thank you for joining us for build-up and live match coverage of Mainz's Conference League last-16 tie against Sigma Olomouc.

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