The tenth round of the German Championship in its 2017/2018 version begins this Friday, October 27, with the meeting involving Mainz and Frankfurt. Scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m., the duel takes place at the Opel Arena in Mainz.
The recent performance of Mainz
On Friday, the previous day, October 20, Mainz was also responsible for the opening match of the number nine round and did not go well. In front of the Schalke, in the house of the rival, took 2 to 0.
Thus, he remained stationed in the ten points (three wins, one draw and five losses) falling to the twelfth place in the Bundesliga. It is closer to the relegation zone, which is opened by Hamburg, sixteenth place, which has seven points, than the region of classification for European tournaments, which is closed by Hannover, sixth place, with 15 points.
Homemade performance, however, is slightly higher. With nine points (three wins and two losses), Mainz appears as the seventh best of the 2017/2018 season. He scored nine goals and took seven.
Rehabilitation of the defeat against Schalke came in the German Cup, but not without much drama. On Tuesday, October 24, Mainz, at home, only tied with second-division Kiel 2-2, having been on the lead twice. He needed an extension to a second division team to score another goal and secure his passage to the Round of 16.
For the departure of this Friday, the technician Sandro Schwarz has three medical doubts. Defender Niko Bungert (without Bundesliga season 2017/2018), midfielder Gerrit Holtmann (without performances) and striker Karim Onsiwo (two performances, no goal) are in the infirmary.
The current form of Frankfurt
Frankfurt also played a match for the second round of the 2017/2017 Germany Cup on Tuesday. He did not have to try as hard as his rival. Away from home, he thrashed fourth-seeded Schweinfurt 4-0 to reach his berth in the last 16 of the tournament where he was runner-up in the previous season and extended to five (four wins and a draw) his semi- defeat.
Even with the four wins, the most significant result of that sequence was equality. Not, of course, by the number of points added, but by the quality of the rival. On Saturday, October 21, at home, Frankfurt were 2-2 with Borussia Dortmund, who until then was the isolated leader of the Bundesliga.
With 14 points (four wins, two draws and three losses), the Frankfurt team completed the nine-day run in seventh place, the first out of the continental tournament qualifying zone.
Acting as a visitor has been one of the trumps for the campaign that can be considered good of the Frankfurt. The team appears as the third best of the German Championship in that question with ten points (three wins, one draw and one defeat) accumulated in this situation of the possible 15.
To try to maintain that advantage, coach Niko Kovac has all his main players available to face Mainz. No bruising problems or suspensions.
History of the bouts between Mainz and Frankfurt
In the last two seasons of the Bundesliga, who played at home in the duel Mainz vs. Frankfurt won. In 2015/2016, Mainz, in their dominions, made 2 to 1 and lost by the same score in the rival stage. In the 2016/2017 season, Frankfurt scored 3-0 at home and took 4-2 as a visitor.
PREDICTION: Frankfurt win @ 2.87
