Schalke 04 vs Mainz 05 21/09/19

21 September 2019

Schalke 04 and Mainz 05 go head-to-head at the Veltins Arena, with the visitors trying to post their first Bundesliga (BL) win at this venue since May 2011.

Encouraged by a stunning 5-1 away win over the returnees Paderborn, the hosts will look to post their third consecutive BL triumph. Notably improved in the final third in the last two league outings, the Miners have scored three or more goals in both of their wins after failing to find the back of the net in the opening two rounds of the BL fixtures (D1, L1). Additionally, David Wagner could be more than happy to see Mainz arriving at the Veltins Arena considering Schalke racked up an impressive eight-game unbeaten home run in BL H2Hs (W6, D2). Moreover, Die Königsblauen prevented the visitors from scoring in the last three H2Hs here, netting 2+ match goals twice in the process.

On the other hand, a 2-1 home triumph over Hertha has seen the visitors put an end to a disastrous three-game BL losing streak in the early stage of the season. Even though they’ve yielded nine points in the opening three league matches, Die Nullfünfer provided the neutrals with entertainment as each of those games produced at least three goals with two of them featuring over 3.5 goals and seeing both teams score. But, Mainz’s massive struggling when away from home in 2019 could be a major influence here. Sandro Schwarz’s men have secured just two wins in 11 BL trips since the turn of the year, losing each of the remaining nine. While five of those defeats witnessed them fail to hit the net, six have seen them concede at least three goals.