Bochum vs Mainz prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2022-08-05 13:30.
When Bochum won 2-0 against Mainz at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion last season, it was not only their first home Bundesliga game since 2010 but also their first-ever top-flight H2H win. It's a quirk of fate that these sides now meet on matchday one this season, but this time with Mainz having snapped up Bochum's youth system poster boy defender Maxim Leitsch! That wasn't the only summer setback for Bochum as they also lost another star in Armel Bella-Kotchap to Southampton, casting doubts over their ability to follow up on their impressive 13th-place finish last year.
Bochum also have the arduous task of replacing Sebastian Polter, the club’s top league scorer last season with ten goals. A 3-0 cup win last weekend was a good start to the season though, as Bochum look to build up momentum in an effort to win their league season opener for the first time since 2016/17 (D1, L4).
Mainz also warmed up with a 3-0 cup win as they attempt to build on their eighth-place finish last campaign, which was their best since 2015/16. It could have been better but for the huge gulf between their home and away form, a gulf that saw Mainz record a joint-third highest home tally of 35 points, but also a joint-second lowest away point total of 11! The visitors will have to bridge that gap this season without defender Moussa Niakhaté who left this summer for England, leaving fans with the memories of his match-winning goal in last season's Bundesliga opener against Leipzig.
Despite that opening day win last season, a monumental challenge awaits Mainz here as they’ve lost five of their last seven Bundesliga season openers and have failed to win any of their last six first away matches of a top-flight season (D1, L5).
Key battle: Shot stopper Manuel Riemann could be crucial for Bochum if he can replicate last season’s heroics of 118 shots saved. He could be tested by Jonathan Burkardt who helped Mainz win six of his nine Bundesliga scoring games last season.
Hot stat: Only the now-relegated Bielefeld lost more away matches after conceding first last season than Mainz (ten).