Robert Andrich could return to Bayer Leverkusen’s starting side at Mainz on Saturday, with Ezequiel Fernandez facing a short turnaround from Argentina duty.
The 32-year-old has rebuilt his position after a difficult summer. Andrich had been a regular last season, captaining the side and operating at the heart of a back three or back five. This term, his standing changed sharply. Bayer were open to a transfer, while Aleix Garcia and Fernandez became the established midfield pairing.
Andrich has since worked his way back through substitute appearances. He started the 2-0 Europa League win over NK Celje, then returned to the bench for the 2-0 Bundesliga victory against RB Leipzig. He now has a plausible route into Carles Martinez’s XI again.
Argentina call-up affects Mainz selection
Fernandez, 24, was also considered a likely departure at the beginning of pre-season. Instead, he has become an Argentina international. He made his senior debut in a 4-0 win over Bolivia, did not play in the 6-0 victory against Burkina Faso and was not included for the 3-0 match against Benin, which kicked off at 1am Central European Summer Time on Wednesday.
After a long return journey to Leverkusen, Fernandez is scheduled to recover on Thursday and take part in Friday’s final session. Fellow Argentina international Facundo Medina, the Bayer defender, is in a similar position.
Sporting managing director Simon Rolfes said their availability would depend on how they handled the travel. Bayer have previous evidence that South American internationals can cope with tight turnarounds. Arturo Vidal often produced his strongest displays after returning from Chile, despite longer journeys and additional connections.
Piero Hincapie, now at Arsenal, and Exequiel Palacios, now with Ipswich Town, were also generally ready after international trips. Charles Aranguiz provided an older example in March 2019, travelling from a match in Houston to join Bayer before the away game at Hoffenheim. He came on in the 26th minute of the 4-1 defeat, one day after arriving.
Martinez has a midfield balancing act
Leverkusen have taken seven points from their first four league matches. That raises the weight of Saturday’s trip to Mainz and next Sunday’s home meeting with Freiburg.
Martinez must decide whether to retain Fernandez alongside Garcia despite the travel demands, or reward Andrich after he remained in Leverkusen throughout the international break. The coach has called Andrich an important member of the squad, and a start at Mainz would reinforce that message.
The schedule complicates the choice. Bayer visit Lech Poznan in the Europa League on Thursday before Freiburg arrive. One possible plan would be to use Fernandez at Mainz and against Freiburg, with Andrich starting in Poznan.
If Andrich begins at Mainz, however, Bayer may also need him against Lech Poznan to preserve Fernandez for Freiburg. That could leave Fernandez without a competitive appearance for around two and a half weeks before the Freiburg game.
There is no clean solution. Starting Fernandez at Mainz carries a small physical risk before a run of midweek fixtures. Leaving him out could give Andrich the impression that his path back to a regular place remains blocked. Martinez’s selection will be a sporting call, but also a dressing-room decision.
