Preview: Schalke 04 vs Mainz 05 - prediction, team news, lineups

Mainz 05's clash with hosts Schalke 04 on Saturday at VELTINS-Arena could be crucial in the fight against Bundesliga relegation.

The visitors come into the clash in eighth place with seven points, while their opponents are 13th with five points from a possible 15.

Match preview

Schalke suffered a 2-1 defeat against Freiburg on October 11, and while few would have predicted them to take anything against their first-placed victors, they did boast a man advantage for the last 30 minutes of the clash when the scores were level.

That result means Miron Muslic's side come into their next fixture just one point above the bottom three, though only three points separate them from seventh-placed Werder Bremen.

A major concern for Die Konigsblauen will be the fact they have scored just four goals in the Bundesliga, and they have failed to find the back of the net in three of their past five matches.

It should be noted that the club have only lost one of their last four games, drawing twice in that time while keeping two clean sheets.

Both of Schalke's two home fixtures in 2026-27 have resulted in goalless stalemates, though they are at least unbeaten in 16 consecutive outings at VELTINS-Arena.

Mainz may only have lost 4-3 against Bayer Leverkusen on October 10, but the close scoreline does not reflect the alarming nature of the performance from Urs Fischer's side.

Saturday's visitors conceded twice within the first 10 minutes, and while they managed to draw level before the half-time interval, they trailed 4-2 with 25 minutes left to play before Benedict Hollerbach netted his team's third in injury time.

Die Nullfunfer are winless in their last six meetings with Schalke, losing on three occasions, and another defeat would be their third in a row against their hosts.

Mainz have now lost two of their three most recent outings in the Bundesliga, scoring eight goals while conceding 10 times.

Fischer deserves credit for overseeing a perfect start to the season on the road, winning all three of his side's contests away from home in 2026-27.

Schalke 04 Bundesliga form:

Schalke 04 form (all competitions):

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:

Mainz 05 form (all competitions):

Team News

Schalke have three confirmed absentees, with forwards Moussa Sylla and Emil Hojlund sidelined alongside backup goalkeeper Johannes Siebeking.

Shot-stopper Loris Karius will continue between the posts, while veteran striker Edin Dzeko is a certain inclusion in a front three also featuring Kenan Karaman and Adil Aouchiche.

In the middle of the pitch, the most likely duo to be stationed in a double pivot are Satoshi Tanaka and Soufian El-Faouzi.

Mainz are still without centre-back Dominik Kohr due to an ankle injury that is set to keep him out until January, and his absence places more pressure on Stefan Posch, Fabio Gruber and Kacper Potulski.

Elsewhere, expect to see a front two of Sheraldo Becker and Phillip Tietz supported by midfielders Nadiem Amiri and Kaishu Sano.

Schalke 04 possible starting lineup:

Karius; Becker, Katic, Kurucay; Gantenbein, Tanaka, El-Faouzi, Gosens; Karaman, Aouchiche; Dzeko

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:

Schwolow; Posch, Gruber, Potulski; Caci, Amiri, Sano, Lee, Mwene; Becker, Tietz

We say: Schalke 04 1-2 Mainz 05

Schalke may boast the advantage of playing at home, but their opponents have travelled well this season.

Mainz will also take confidence from the fact their hosts have struggled to make an impact in the final third, so it is difficult to see the visitors losing if they manage to score more than once.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.