Mainz haven’t been in good form lately and will look for a rebound in this encounter. Coach Schmidt has stated that this is a crucial match and has emphasised the importance of victory here. Schmidt won’t have Gbamin, who is suspended, with Frei or Ramalho the probable replacement. Cordoba returns from suspension and should start in attack. Jairo could be benched given his shaky form. Mainz will have the 3 points as an imperative here. They are generally an attack-minded side, especially when playing at home. That should be proven here, with Schmidt demanding aggressiveness from his players and pushing the tempo from the start. Mainz like to start matches fast and offensively, and an early goal here would make the task that much easier.
Hamburg arrive to this match after two consecutive victories. The atmosphere in the team is much better now and they are eager to continue on the right path. For this encounter, Gisdol will miss Djourou and Holtby, alongside the already absent Adler. Spahic returns to starting after his injury, while Wood should be the striker, with Gregoritsch moving to midfield. Hamburg will look to stay undefeated above all here. Still, they shouldn’t be too defensive, with Gisdol finally bringing improvements offensively and looking to be more attack-minded. A balanced approach can be expected, with Hamburg not shying away from going forward with numbers when given the chance.
Verdict & Prediction
Mainz are currently on a losing streak and they are desperate to get some points here. This first half of the season has been tough on them, especially with involvement in the Europa League. The injury situation hasn’t helped and they have lacked consistency. Coach Schmidt has stated this is a massive match for them. He put emphasis on the win as an imperative and one should expect a fairly motivated Mainz out there. Returning to play in front of their own fans where they’ve done much better should be an additional push.
Prediction : Mainz -0.50 AH (same as Mainz to win match)
Odds: 1.96 SBOBET
