German Bundesliga - Mainz vs. Hoffenheim - Preview & Prediction
Sitting just a single point above the bottom-three, Mainz will have to pull out all the stops to bank all three points against 7th-placed Hoffenheim, who find themselves just three points below the top-six. Kick-off - at 9:30 AM ET on Saturday, May 30.
Mainz Draw In East Berlin
A third draw in their last four contests (D3 L1) was in the cards for struggling Mainz, who had to settle for a 1-1 tie with Union Berlin away at An der Alten Forsterei on Wednesday. German-Congolese midfielder Ridle Baku opened the scoring with his first goal in 41 games ahead of Union Berlin’s 33rd-minute equalizer. Still, the Zero-Fivers failed to find a further break in the proceedings, despite playing more than 45 minutes against 10 men. Mainz is 15th in the league with a W8 D4 L16 record, sitting just a single point above the drop-zone.
Having banked 12 goals so far this season, Swedish-Ghanaian forward Robin Quaison tops Mainz’s scoring chart. He has failed to find the back of the net in his last four fixtures, though. Goalie Florian Muller, meanwhile, sits 24th in the Bundesliga with 26 saves in seven outings. He has conceded 21 goals and allows a snipe every 28 minutes on average. Mainz are 14th in most goals netted this year (37), 14th in most shots taken (13 per game), 14th in ball possession (45.0%), and 14th in passing accuracy (75.3%).
Hoffenheim End Losing Skid
Hoffenheim earned their first victory in the last eight Bundesliga fixtures (W1 D3 L4) after snatching a 3-1 win against Cologne at PreZero Arena on Wednesday. Austrian attacking midfielder Christoph Baumgartner was the star of the show, scoring three goals (with one of them ruled out by VAR), adding an assist and drawing a foul, which resulted in Cologne playing with 10 men from the 26th minute onwards. Steven Zuber also scored, and Benjamin Hubner was sent off for Die Kraichgauer, who are 7th in the league (W11 D6 L11), trailing the top-six by three points.
Following his two-goal performance during midweek, Baumgartner has scored six times in the league this season and will be trying to match the team-leading seven snipes by injured Andrej Kramaric. Goalie Oliver Baumann, meanwhile, is set for his 25th start of the season, presently sitting 6th in the Bundesliga with 83 saves. He has notched four clean sheets and gives up a goal every 49 minutes on average. Hoffenheim are 11th in most goals buried this year (39), 11th in most shots delivered (12.8 per game), 5th in ball possession (52.0%), and 5th in passing accuracy (82.1%).
Prediction
Mainz’s battle for survival in the Bundesliga has not been one of the most impressive ones. Still, the team has lost just one of its past five contests (W1 D3 L1) and will be hosting a Hoffenheim side it has already gone unbeaten against in the last three head-to-head fixtures (W2 D1). The very last two meetings between the two teams, both won by Mainz, have also seen a sending-off each, with the very last contest of each team during midweek also combining for a total of three red cards. Moreover, both sides have found the back of the net in eight of the previous nine meetings between Hoffenheim and Mainz, so expect both on the scoresheet again.
Best bets:
Mainz Double Chance (Win or Draw) (-210)
Both teams to score (-210)
Red card (+385)
