Daily Dynamo Selections – Schalke v Mainz
Schalke will continue their pursuit of a Champions League place when they host unfancied Mainz in this Bundesliga fixture. Schalke are in excellent form, having won their last four Bundesliga matches and six of their last seven in all competitions, but Mainz have performed well above expectations this term and retain hopes of claiming an unlikely European place.
While the home side have shown themselves to be a strong outfit this term, the ongoing public debate over the future of their start player, Julian Draxler, must be of concern to Schalke fans. The attacking midfielder seems certain to leave at the end of season, with a raft of Europe's top clubs keen on snapping him up.
Thus, Schalke must make hay while the sun shines and they have Draxler in their outfit. So they will certainly be targeting a win here against a Mainz side who should provide a strong challenge. One of the elements that is notable about this fixture, though, is how the figures stack up against the away side.
Schalke are a top attacking side and have scored more goals than second placed Bayer Leverkusen. By contrast, despite some good results, Mainz have a negative goal difference and have leaked quite a lot away from home. This feeds into Schalke's strong home record, which is better than Borussia Dortmund. The one thing in Mainz's favour is that they have picked up some good wins away from home lately.
Nonetheless, I expect Draxler and co to come out on top here, and my Daily Dynamo Selections reflect this conclusion.
Selections – Safe Bet – Schalke to win (7/10 with Ladbrokes), Value Bet –Over 3.5 goals (17/10 with BetVictor)
