Mainz 05 vs Darmstadt 98 Predictions, Betting Tips, & Match Preview

UEFA Europa League participants Mainz 05 haven’t started their season as well as they’d have hoped in pursuit of a second successive season of European football. Mainz do have eight points on the board from their opening six matches, but the pressure is on here as they trail the top six by two points and are without a win at home in five consecutive matches. Mainz’s leak so far this season has been their inability to hold onto leads; an avoidable 4-4 draw against Hoffenheim in game-week two, where they were leading 4-1 before being reduced to 10 men (see team news) and a 3-2 defeat at home to Bayer Leverusen saw Mainz fail to hold onto yet another lead twice in one match. Mainz recorded only their first clean sheet of the season in a goalless draw away to Wolfsburg last time out.

Darmstadt 98’s eventual survival in the Bundesliga last season came as a huge surprise to many who thought that back-to-back promotions with very little investment would almost certainly see their demise. Darmstadt’s performances so far this season without “superstar” Sandro Wagner, who scored 14 goals over 32 appearances and signed for TSG Hoffenheim during the transfer window, however, have been unsurprisingly bleak. Wagner was, by %, not only Darmstadt’s most involved player, when combining assists and goals scored, but one of the most vital players for any team in the Bundesliga last season. Though no player comes close to replacing his role for Darmstadt, they are slowly starting to come to terms of life without him, taking two draws from their last three matches.

Mainz 05 are strong favourites for the bookies here at 9/20. While we feel that Mainz are certainly the better side on paper, we actually fancy the away side to take away at least a point here. Even though Darmstadt have lost all three matches to nil on the road so far this season, Mainz have a ton of first team players missing due to injury or suspension and they are not a side with a deep enough squad to comfortably replace those missing with equally strong players. When considering Darmstadt’s fully fit squad that fought back to take a 2-2 draw away from Bremen last time out and Mainz’s unconvincing recent home, then getting almost 2/1 on the away side is certainly a decent bet here.

As such, draw or Darmstadt at 7/4 and a 0-0 draw at 11/1 with bet365 are our choice bets for this match.