FRIDAY IN EUROPE: The Ultra previews MAINZ v SCHALKE with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MAINZ V SCHALKE
7.30pm Friday night football from Europe on BETDAQ Betting Exchange comes from the Bundesliga this week with a massive game for both sides as Mainz host Schalke. We also have Bayer Leverkusen hosting Koln, but both sides desperately need a win here so I’m happy to focus on this game with both kicking off at the same time. Mainz are definitely still in the hunt for a European spot, while Schalke are sitting in the relegation zone – the stakes are high and we should have a tense game.
A win for Mainz would see them jump up and join Bayer Leverkusen on points if Leverkusen lost tonight, but it’s also worth considering that Leverkusen have a big Europa League Semi-Final against Roma that could take their focus away from the Bundesliga. Mainz have to play Dortmund on the final day of the season which is going to be a very difficult game, but that win over Bayern Munich recently has given them hope of a European spot. They would have been gutted to follow up that win over Bayern with a loss to Wolfsburg!
That was the first loss for Mainz after going ten games unbeaten, and even though they lost 3-0 away from home they finished the game with a higher xG figure than they conceded. They didn’t take their chances, and Wolfsburg did. They still played well though, and I’m sure they will be a popular bet here. The home side come into the game trading as the odds on favourites at 1.68 with Schalke 5.8 and the draw is 4.3. Schalke looked nailed on to go down against this season, but two wins from their last three games has put them back into the mix. A win here would see them jump into 14th for example.
While Schalke are winning at an important time of the season, it’s worth noting that those wins came against Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen – Hertha have been nailed to the bottom of the table, actually five points off Schalke and Werder Bremen aren’t too far away either. They aren’t in a relegation battle but they have been poor this season. Schalke have also been poor away from home this season – they’ve only managed eight points from their 14 away games. They played well away to Augsburg in mid-March, but since then they have been totally outplayed away to Hoffenheim and Freiburg, conceding six goals over the two games without scoring.
Mainz haven’t been as good at home this season as they were last season, but the 1.68 still looks massive here. They have been playing great football lately, and while it was a shame they lost their unbeaten run last time out, Schalke have been so average away from home this is an ideal game to bounce back in. I know it’s unlikely they reach a European spot, but they are still in the mix and that’s good motivation at this stage of the season. Schalke are battling hard to say up, but Mainz can outclass them here at the 1.68 is worth a confident bet.
The Ultra Says:
Four points win Mainz to beat Schalke at 1.68 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/MaiSch
