The Round 25 of the German Bundesliga will wrap up with two very exciting matches. In Mainz, the 1.FSV Mainz 05 will host the FC Schalke 04 at the Opel Arena, while Borussia Monchengladbach will play hosts to the top ranked Bayern Munich in a game that will be played at the Borussia-Park. As usual, we will pick one of the two Sunday matches and try to give you a closer look at their form, injuries, latest news, rumors, etc. This round, we have picked the 1.FSV Mainz 05 vs. FC Schalke 04 as the featured game on Sunday, so read on to find out where to put your money!!!
1.FSV MAINZ 05 vs. SCHALKE 04
3-Way: 1: Mainz +179 Home; X: +250 Draw; 2: Schalke+181 Away
Spread: Mainz 0 -101; Schalke 0 +100
Total 2.5+: Over +112; Under -118
The 0-Fives don’t have too many reasons to brag about, as their boat is sinking with the speed of the light. Despite winning 7 points over their last 5 games, Mainz is still not safe, considering that they are only 3 points clear from the relegation zone. Mainz has given away too many points easily and now has found itself struggling to stay out of the relegation zone. In their last two games, the 0-fives have played only 1:1 against VfL Wolfsburg at home, prior to losing to the worst team in the league, Darmstadt, with 1:2 away. Mainz defense has not lived up to the expectations and especially now the Mainz defense will be vulnerable, considering that their best defender Stefan Ball will sit out this game due to the suspension by the league, after receiving the yellow-red card. How badly the hosts play defensively, shows the fact that they have already conceded 40 goals and scored only 33.
One positive fact is that the 0-fives have defeated the Visitors in their last two meetings at the Opel Arena in Mainz, which is why the hosts have the full right to hope for their 3rd straight win against Schalke at home. However, in their Bundesliga history, Mainz has been defeated more times only by one team – Bayern Munich (15), as opposed to the Schalke 04 (12 times). The home team, as noted before, will not be able to count on their best defender Stefan Ball, while Hack, Berggreen and Onisiwo will also be sideline.
On the other side, the Royal Blues are currently ranked 11th and up until the last couple of rounds, the Blues were fighting off the strong competition from or just outside of the relegation zone. The Royal Blues vs. Mainz 04 is a very interesting match due to couple of reasons. One of the biggest links between these two is the fact that Schalkes current coach was the head coach of the Mainz 0-fives prior to switching the teams in summer of 2016. Furthermore, ever since the 2010, at least one player has made a one way trip from Mainz to Schalke 04, with the exception of the 2012 season.
After defeating Hertha Berlin with 2:0 at home in Round 20, the Schalke fans believed that their team is catching the right form and that they will make a strong push towards the upper dome of the table. However, over the next three games, Schalke only managed to collect two points playing 2 draws and suffering a 4:2 loss in Round 23 to Borussia Monchengladbach. Being put in a familiar spot once again, the Royal Blues exploded in the last round thrashing Augsburg with 3:0 in, probably, their best performance this season. Furthermore, the much needed win gave the Royal Blues a confidence check prior to their visit to Borussia Monchengladbach in the Europa League on Thursday. After the first half it was 2:0 for the home team and it seemed like the Foals were up for another win against the Royal Blues. However, the visitors had enough strength to push forward and level the score with two goals towards the 60th minute of the match. The game finished 2:2 and the Royal Blues advanced to the next round on a away goal rule. Going into the game against Mainz, Schalke will not be able to count on the injured Baba, Coke, Naldo, Uchida and Embolo.
The Royal Blues have scored at least 1 goal in five of their last 6 trips to the Opel Arena. Furthermore, the most unpopular score in soccer, 0:0, was recorded only once in 13 of their last 14 meetings. In addition, there have been at least 3 goals scored in 4 of their last 5 meetings. With all being said, I am going with both teams to score at least 1 goal, while also daring to my bet on the over as well!!!
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (-110) ; Over 2.5 goals (+112)
