While Borussia Dortmund has been on a roll for weeks, their next opponent has only recently found its stride. Now comes the bitter news.

The first win of the season is in the bag, but 1. FSV Mainz 05 has just received more bitter news: Following the 4-1 win at FC Augsburg, the club announced that regular player Anthony Caci has suffered a muscle tendon injury in his right thigh. This was revealed by thorough examinations of the defender after his return to Mainz.

The injury will be treated conservatively. The Frenchman’s return to training will depend on his individual recovery, but is not expected until the beginning of 2026.

Bitter: Caci is virtually irreplaceable on the right side of Mainz’s defense. Silvan Widmer is expected to start in his place in the upcoming home game against Borussia Dortmund (Saturday, September 27, 3:30 p.m.).

Another option would be Nikolas Veratschnig.

Mainz signed Caci on a free transfer

Caci joined the Racing Strasbourg youth academy in 2011. After making his professional debut in the summer of 2016 – initially in Ligue 2 and the League Cup – Caci became a regular in Strasbourg’s Ligue 1 team in 2018/19, playing in various defensive positions and winning the Coupe de la Ligue (League Cup) with the Alsatians. This qualified Racing for international competition for the first time in 14 years, but Caci was unable to participate in the Europa League qualifiers due to injury.

In the following years, he was a reliable regular and narrowly missed out on European qualification with Strasbourg in 2021. He also played for the French U21 national team and at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

For the 2022/23 season, Caci moved to 1. FSV Mainz 05 on a free transfer and signed a four-year contract until 2026. He immediately became a regular player in Mainz, playing 31 out of 34 games in each of his first two Bundesliga seasons and showing enormous flexibility as a right and left full-back.

In the Bundesliga, he scored five goals and provided twelve assists in 99 games for Mainz. According to “transfermarkt.de,” his market value is currently around twelve million euros.