Schalke 04 Chases Consecutive Victories after Rare Road Win
Published October 20, 2017 by Florin P
Mainz prepares for a siege at Veltins Arena against hosts Schalke 04 (7:30 p.m UK Time).
Schalke 04 has spent a lot of time in the second half of the standings despite having a quality squad and enough depth to maintain a high level of play. Now they are trying to win back-to-back games for only the second time this season, when they welcome Mainz at Veltins Arena. Home pitch advantage means a lot for this German team who has picked up most of the points in front of its fans.
High Goal Production for both Teams
Veltins Arena is usually a place where a lot of goals are being scored by both the host and the visiting teams. Schalke 04 will field three strikers and a backling of only four defenders, so the trend is likely to continue. They can’t afford to settle for one point, because this is a great opportunity to close the gap separating them from the leaders.
The best case scenario is for them to finish close to the podium, so they have a shot at a European cup berth. Goretzka is currently their most prolific striker with just three goals, but other players have contributed up front. They tend to concede goals mostly against aggressive teams, something that Mainz rarely is when playing on the road.
Few Clean Sheets for Mainz this Season
Mainz has scored more goals than expected but because of its permeable defensive, the efforts were largely in vain. The team was unable to defend narrow margin leads and conceded plenty of goals in both the domestic championship and cup. They also have three players missing ahead of this fixture and all of them play defensive roles, so they are vulnerable.
Unibet Sportsbook and 888 Sport both offer odds of 9/11 on Schalke 04 to win, but this value is unlikely to hold until kickoff. The home side is really in good form and players are in high spirits, so they will come out firing on all cylinders. When put under pressure, Mainz is frequently overwhelmed and has a hard time keeping clean sheets.
