WE'RE delighted to welcome German Football expert Raphael Honigstein to the site for the season thanks to our partner Unibet.
You may know Raph from his excellent work on BT Sport where he shares his knowledge of the European game and we're hoping he can make some of that know-how pay for us on MrFixitsTips. Best of luck Raphael!
Mainz v Freiburg (Mon 7.30pm)
The only two Bundesliga teams without a win in their last six games are Mainz and Freiburg. It’s no real surprise then that both are embroiled in the relegation battle, with Mainz third from bottom and Freiburg just two places and three points above them.
Both teams were involved in relegation six pointers last weekend too. Freiburg struggled at home to Wolfsburg, losing 2-0. Their talismanic forward Nils Petersen had a red card suspension overturned ahead of that game but even with Christian Streich’s team two down, Petersen missed a penalty in a moment which rather summed up their day.
Mainz on the other hand had the best of their 1-1 draw against Cologne. The main thing, as scorer Pablo De Blasis put it, was that Cologne didn’t win meaning that Mainz are six points above them still with five games to play.
That said, Mainz had more than enough chances to win the game. Substitute Robin Quaison hit the post and with the last kick of the game was denied from close range by Timo Horn.
“We should have won,” was the unsurprising verdict from the Swedish forward shortly after full time.
At the back though, Mainz have real problems with injury. Seven first-team players have been unable to train with the team this week, five of those would be considered at centre back. Sandro Schwarz is hopeful that a few of them will have recovered in time.
He could have really done though without his first choice right back Giulio Donati getting sent off in injury time against Cologne. Schwarz can take hope though from his side’s gutsy display at Cologne and also from the fact that Freiburg have just one away win in their last 17 Bundesliga games on the road. Don’t anticipate too many goals in this one but enough to make over 2.5 worthwhile.
Raphael's Tips
- Mainz 2, Freiburg 1 (17-2, Unibet)
- Quaison to score first (13-2, Unibet)
- Over 2.5 goals (11-8, Unibet)
Munich-born Raphael Honigstein writes about football for Germany’s biggest broadsheet, Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Guardian, ESPNFC and his tips appear here thanks to our football partner at MrFixitsTips, Unibet. They're making a big splash in the UK betting scene and if you join them today you can claim up to £30 in Welcome Bonuses when you deposit and place your first bet.
Munich-born Raphael Honigstein writes about football for Germany’s biggest broadsheet, Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Guardian, ESPNFC and others. He’s a regular pundit on BT Sport’s European Football Show and the author of “Englischer Fussball: A German View of Our Beautiful Game”. His favourite food is Schnitzel, predictably.
