Mainz 05 - Schalke 04 betting tips and odds

The odds are definitely leaning in the hosts’ favour, but this match is far from a done deal. Judging by odds alone, Schalke 04 may yet be able to walk away with a draw or even a surprise victory – though it’s still a longshot.

From the current viewpoint, the situation is straightforward. Given the strength of Mainz 05 and the fact that Schalke 04 are given 5.60 odds to win, it is easy to see that an Schalke 04 victory would be a shocking surprise.

The hosts will be keen to make a swift return to winning ways following their last round’s disappointment. They suffered a dreadful Wolfsburg away defeat without ever getting close to salvaging anything from the game. Having conceded early on in the game, things went from bad to worse for Mainz 04.

Schalke 04’s previous home outing ended in triumph, but the road there wasn’t easy. Their opponents Werder Bremen took the lead in the first half, leaving Schalke 04 on the back foot despite the initial 2.40 odds on a home win. Their luck was much better later on, though, resulting in a narrow 2:1.

With over 5 goals over their past 3 home games, Mainz is not a team you want to meet at home. They’ll be looking to extend this trend as much as possible, so Schalke will need to be careful.

It’s easy to spot a certain trend when looking over Schalke’s recent history – and not in a good way. Their latest appearances were marked by a high concession rate. For example, their previous 3 matches featured more than 5 conceded goals.

Schalke’s chances of staying in the Bundesliga for another season seem less likely with each passing round. They still have some breathing room to get out of the relegation zone, but the games they’re yet to play are quite challenging. They’ll be fighting against the odds this Friday, for instance.

Though the odds are clearly in the hosts’ favour, the head-to-head history for this Bundesliga clash tells a different story. Mainz 04 lost the last time these two teams met on the pitch, so an upset is definitely possible.

Ralf Fährmann, Justin Heekeren, Cedric Brunner, Soichiro Kozuki, Tim Skarke have all been forced to stay out of this match due to various injuries. That’s one more disadvantage that the visitors will have to deal with on top of being the less likely team to win.

An Over 2.5 Goals is a great bet if you like staying on the safe side. The betting value for this market is strong compared even to the 1.88, which makes this an easy betting prediction to make.