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Remind me next time

Schalke host Mainz in a massive Bundesliga six-point affair on Friday night. The Royals are at the bottom of the Bundesliga table after 23 games with just nine points. Mainz are one place and eight points above Schalke in the standings. The 05ers are one point off of Armina Bielefeld, who occupy the relegation playoff place. A win could send them into 16th place and above Armina Bielefeld in the table.

Mainz have been good, for the most part, over the course of the last six games in the Bundesliga. Although they lost narrowly to Ausburg at the weekend, 1-0, Mainz were on a five-game unbeaten run in the division. Schalke have lost back-to-back games in the division and go into the weekend facing relegation at the end of the season.

Schalke are coming off of a 5-1 loss to Stuttgart. No team have conceded as many goals as Schalke in the Bundesliga. They have conceded 61 times in 23 games. They concede an average of 2.7 goals per match. Not only have Schalke conceded the most goals in the Bundesliga, but they have scored the fewest goals of any club. Just 16 goals have been tallied by the Royals.

The teams drew 2-2 when the sides met earlier this season. Mainz took a 2-1 lead into halftime thanks to two penalties from Daniel Brosinski and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Schalke’s goals came from Mark Uth and an own goal from Jerry St. Juste, which came in the 82nd minute.

Schalke vs Mainz Betting Odds

Ex-coach Christian Gross watched his Schalke team collect just two points from their last 18 possible. On Sunday, the club sacked Gross and hired the unknown Dimitrios Grammozis to take his place. The team scored a mere two goals over the course of their last six matches. Meanwhile, they conceded 17 goals during that time period. Schalke conceded nine goals alone in their last two Bundesliga matches. Mainz, on the other hand, took 10 points from their last 18 on offer. Goals didn’t flow, but eight were scored while eight were conceded by the 05ers.

Mainz’s great recent run of form has them as favourite to win away against Schalke on Friday. The 05ers are at odds of 23/20 to win the game and move above Armina Bielefeld until at least Sunday, when Arminia Bielefeld play Union Berlin.

The 05ers have taken a mere nine points from 33 on the road this season. Their recent road form has been good with six points coming in their last six Bundesliga away fixtures. Schalke’s home form has been abysmal. They have taken just five points from 36 available at home.

The Royals are at odds of 5/2 to win against Mainz on Friday night. Schalke did win this fixture last season, 2-1. Mainz have not won away at Schalke since the 2012-13 DFB Pokal match.

Schalke vs Mainz Team News

Grammozis continues to have a long list of players out of action due to injury. Nassim Boujellab is ruled out for the next month due to a tendon injury. Ralf Fahrmann is ruled out with a broken rib, while Mark Uth is suffering from a hamstring injury and won’t be back until April. Steven Skrzybski and Goncalo Pacienca are also both set to miss the match through injury.

Grammozis could have Frederik Ronnow, Matija Nastasic, Kilian Ludewig, and Salif Sane back from their respective injuries. The coach, who took over in mid-season, has not got a break yet. The real news going into the game is Grammozis’s hiring. He is Schalke’s fifth coach of the campaign, which is likely to see the Royals relegated.

Mainz coach Bo Svensson has watched his team improve over the last few months. Despite losing last weekend to Augsburg, Mainz are in a good position to get a result on Friday night and move level with Arminia Bielefeld in the table at the very least. A point would be enough to move into 16th place due to a better goal difference than Arminia Bielefeld.

Svensson could be without the duo of Dominik Kohr and Edimilson Fernandes. Both players are due back with the team this month.

Schalke vs Mainz Prediction

Both teams to score: YES @ 3/4 - BET NOW

Two of the last three games played between Schalke and Mainz finished with both teams scoring goals. Schalke have conceded 61 times this season and the defence has not improved. With a fifth coach now taking over, the Royals should concede goals to Mainz. They could also get a goal of their own as Mainz have allowed 44 scores, the second-most in the Bundesliga. The reverse fixture finished 2-2.

Over 2.5 goals scored @19/20 - BET NOW

Three out of the last four matches between the clubs in the Bundesliga finished with over 2.5 goals tallied. Schalke conceded nine goals over the course of their last two games. Four were conceded to Borussia Dortmund and five to Stuttgart. Mainz have tallied 23 scores this term and should exploit Schalke’s awful defending on Friday night in a high-scoring affair.

Robin Quaison to score anytime @ 21/10 - BET NOW

Robin Quaison has had a quiet season for Mainz, but that can be said about a number of the players at the club. In January, leading goalscorer Jean-Philippe Mateta was allowed to leave for Crystal Palace. Quaison needs to step up and get goals to help Mainz inch out of the bottom two in the Bundesliga. The forward has two goals and an assist in 19 games this term.

Schalke are playing poorly and even with Grammozis as coach, should continue to struggle. The Royals are on the way down to the Bundesliga 2 while Mainz have given themselves a lifeline in recent weeks. Mainz should get a win against Schalke on Friday night. They are playing better football, but Grammozis is a wildcard in the equation. His arrival could spur a slight uptick in form for Schalke.

Schalke vs Mainz Betting Tips