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FSV Mainz – Schalke 04
For the first time in Bundesliga history, there is a conference this Friday night. On the one hand, Bayer Leverkusen fights in the home BayArena against 1. FC Cologne for the entry into the international business (To Leverkusen – Cologne tip). On the other hand, an exciting match is also on the agenda at the MEWA Arena in Mainz. The Mainz team, which has been playing strongly lately, will receive FC Schalke 04, which continues to fight for survival and is doing everything in its power not to have to go back to the 2nd Bundesliga. In the previous week, the Knappen took an important step towards staying in the league. Dominick Drexler’s late winner brought the Königsblauen within striking distance of Bochum in the relegation zone.
The opponents from Mainz, on the other hand, suffered a small setback last weekend. After ten games without a defeat, Mainz lost 3-0 at VfL Wolfsburg. Nevertheless, Mainz is still only three points behind Bayer Leverkusen in sixth place and still has a chance of making it into the Europa League.
The scheduling of the duel with Schalke on a Friday evening, however, will certainly have been received positively by FSV. Mainz has clearly won the last two Friday matches at home: On Matchday 11, FSV defeated 1. FC Köln by a score of 5-0, and on Matchday 22, FSV defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach by a score of 4-0. Whether the Nullfünfer will also be successful against the Knappen, you can find out in our Mainz vs Schalke tip.
Mainz – Schalke info:
- Date & Time: 05.05.2023, 20:30 hrs.
- Game venue: MEWA Arena, Mainz
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 31.
- TV broadcast: DAZN
Mainz form & balance check
Mainz 05 is probably the surprise team of the second leg. After finishing the first half of the season in twelfth place, FSV is currently almost unstoppable. The team from Rhineland-Palatinate is in third place in the second-round table. Only BVB and Bayern are still above the Mainz team.
After ten games without defeat, coach Bo Svensson’s team lost 3-0 to VfL Wolfsburg the previous week, but Mainz’s ten unbeaten games still represent a club record in the Bundesliga.
With brains
SFSV signed Ludovic Ajorque in the winter, a strong headed attacker with a height of 1.97 meters who is considered a valuable target for crosses. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Nullfünfer have won the second most header duels of all Bundesliga teams so far.
But Ajorque is not only dangerous with his head for Mainz. His presence adds a new dimension to the Nullfünfer’s game. It is therefore no coincidence that the Frenchman has scored only one of his six goals for Mainz this season with his head. Three more followed with his left foot and two more with his right foot.
Mainz facts & analysis
- In 8th place in the Bundesliga standings.
- Already five points more in the second leg than in the first leg
- First two defeats in the second leg
Schalke form & balance check
The best way to describe Schalke 04’s Hinrunde is probably with the word catastrophic. The Knappen picked up only new points in the first 17 games and were thus for many fans already determined as a safe relegation. In the relegation season of 2020/2021, meanwhile, Schalke scored just two points less in the first half of the season.
In the second half of the season, however, coach Thomas Reis’ team has shown a completely different face. Schalke already picked up 18 points in the second half of the season, twice as many as in the entire first half. S04 also showed strong morale in the 2-1 win over Bremen the previous week, as the Knappen turned a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 victory. Currently, Schalke is in 17th place and just one point behind the save shore.
Bülter in focus
Perhaps the most important personnel for the Knappen this season is Marius Bülter. The 30-year-old has already scored nine goals in the first 30 games, making him his team’s top scorer. The striker from Ibbenbüren scored six goals in the second half of the season alone.
For Bülter, this already makes it the most successful season in the Bundesliga. The striker previously scored seven goals in the Bundesliga in the 2019/2020 season, when he was still wearing a Union Berlin shirt. The Schalkers are now also hoping for Bülter’s scoring instinct in the last four games.
Schalke facts & analysis
- First away win in the league.
- Best offense in the Bundesliga
- Already nine points more in the second half than in the first half
Predicted lineup – last update on May 3, 2023
Mainz will again operate in the well-rehearsed 3-4-2-1. Ajorque will look to build on his performances of recent weeks in attack and score his seventh goal for Mainz. Captain Silvan Widmer will miss the Nullfünfern injured on the right rail. For him, Danny da Costa will probably move into the first eleven.
Schalke we expect again in a 4-2-3-1, but the Knappen must continue to do without their defensive leader Moritz Jenz on Friday. Fährmann, Brunner, Kozuki and Skarke are also still injured. Bülter and Drexler will probably put pressure on the wings
Mainz – Schalke direct comparison & statistics
Mainz usually has a hard time against the Königsblauen. FSV did not win any of the last five duels with Schalke. Mainz also picked up just nine wins overall in their 39 games against S04. Schalke, on the other hand, has won 21 times against FSV. In the first leg, the Knappen also had the upper hand with a 1-0 win.
- Mainz have won just one of their last eleven games against Schalke.
- Mainz has failed to score in 3 of their 15 home matches in Bundesliga this season.
- When Mainz leads 1-0 in home games, they win 50% of them
- Schalke 04 has failed to score in 8 of their 14 away matches this season in Bundesliga
