Bochum vs Mainz prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-10-26 18:30.
Struggling VfL Bochum have the pleasure of facing a club that were beneath them in the standings at kickoff for the second time this season, this time facing the only other winless Bundesliga club in a Friday evening ‘basement battle’. On the previous occasion, they conceded three times in a loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach – their previous home fixture – and now have the league’s second-worst defence (21 goals against) after losing 2-1 away to Freiburg in their most recent outing.
Despite failing to win any of their first eight games of the season, Bochum can draw inspiration from last season when they also failed to win across the first eight rounds, but they eventually finished 14th after registering their first win of the season on matchday nine! Playing at home is definitely a boost in their attempt to repeat that feat, with admirable 1-1 1-1 draws already this season when hosting top-four contenders Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt, while Bochum have collected 16 of their 22 league wins at home since their promotion to the Bundesliga, one of which was against upcoming opponents Mainz.
The visitors will be glad to get back on the pitch and move on from an off-field social media controversy that led to the club suspending Anwar El Ghazi indefinitely for some online comments regarding the Hamas-Israel conflict. Losing depth on their bench was the last thing the club needed right now, particularly as only opponents Bochum (six) have fewer goals than Mainz (seven) this league season.
They’ve also got the worst defence in the league, having conceded 22 goals (2.75 per game) after a 3-1 loss at home to Bayern Munich last weekend. There appears to be little indication of what is currently their worst ever Bundesliga season (D2, L6) improving, with goals conceded within the opening 30 minutes in four consecutive league games. On a positive note, the last-placed outfit collected their first away point of the campaign in their previous trip courtesy of a 2-2 draw at Mönchengladbach.
Players to watch: Kevin Stöger has delivered a point for Bochum with all three of his goal contributions (G2, A1), scoring both goals at home. On the radar of the Bundesliga’s top clubs, Brajan Gruda was involved in one goal in each of Mainz's last two Bundesliga games (G1, A1).
Hot stat: Mainz’s H2H record against Bochum (W8, D1, L1) is their best against any Bundesliga club.