Bundesliga 25th matchday, Friday, 07/03/2025 at 20:30
It’s not a long way from midfield to the top group! In our 1st Bundesliga tips, a different club can show itself in the international ranks week after week; in my Gladbach Mainz tip, we now have two teams at once that want to get in at the top.
Ultimately, it’s quite simple: only Bayern and Leverkusen are consistently performing, with large gaps behind them. There are seven points between third and tenth place, so almost half the league has hopes of reaching the top flight. The Champions League anthem in Mainz? That would be something!
The 05ers open the 25th round at Borussia Park on Friday, hopefully their players, on both sides, haven’t celebrated Carnival too hard. In my opinion, the game is ideal for taking the risk of a draw bet – and not just because five of the last seven duels have had exactly that to offer!
In my analysis, I would now like to underline why a point is realistic for both. On the one hand, there is an exceptional talent in attack, on both sides. On the other hand, there is a guest from Mainz who has finally found his strong form again.
On Friday, Borussia will face one of their current bogey opponents, which I will also address. A draw would ultimately not really help either team, but it won’t hurt either!
The forecast of the bookmakers?
From time to time, it happens in the Bundesliga that even the tax-free bookmakers have no favorite – and this game is one of them! The odds are almost the same, with Gladbach’s victory averaging 2.60.
But Mainz don’t come off much worse either. Since they have not been beaten by the Foals in eight games, they are definitely capable of winning. Those who place the corresponding bet will be rewarded with odds of 2.70.
Three draws in a row, five times in the last seven matches, it is not uncommon for both teams to neutralize each other in the end. If there is no winner again this time, the odds for a draw are 3.40.
AI prediction Gladbach vs Mainz: ChatGPT is betting on this
White ChatGPT because that there have been a lot of draws in this duel in recent years? In any case, the AI suggests three quite interesting bets for this match.
First, I’ll give you the risky tip, because it refers to a 1-1 draw. I expect a draw anyway, since four of the last seven duels had exactly this result, so I can gain a lot from this suggestion.
Accordingly, the AI links this result bet with the tip “Under 2.5 goals”. This was the case in seven of Mainz’s last nine games, and fittingly, VfL did not score in two of their last four home games. Therefore, you could also be right with this suggestion.
The classic “both teams score” also appears in the ChatGPT predictions. Since Mainz have only won one away game since the end of November and Gladbach have not won a home game against Mainz in the second half of the season since 2008, I agree with this.
Analysis: Gladbach vs Mainz
The battle for the premier class is brutal. In the Bundesliga, anything is possible from third place onwards, and Mainz 05 is one of the candidates that actually have a chance of qualifying for the most important international competition.
After a weak January, which included three defeats in four rounds, the “Karnevalsverein” has bounced back. 2-0 against Heidenheim, 2-0 against St. Pauli and 2-1 against RB Leipzig, for the third time this season they have managed three wins in a row!
But they have never won four in a row, so Friday’s game could be a real first. With 25 goals conceded, the team has the second-best defense in the league; only Bayern Munich (20) defend better.
Six wins at home, six away? What makes Mainz so dangerous is definitely their ability to perform well on any pitch. After a minor away crisis, which produced four defeats in five games, the 05ers are now back on track.
Odds Analysis
Tim Kleindienst and Jonathan Burkardt could be the key players in this game. The Gladbach player has 14 goals, and so has the Mainz player! In this respect, I think both are equally likely to score in a direct duel.
If Kleindienst scores, there are odds of 3.00 at Bet365. A goal from Burkardt seems even more likely, as we are now only at 2.75.
In addition, I can well imagine that there will be no clear tendency at half-time. So if you are thinking of betting on a draw after 45 minutes, you can get odds of 2.25 at Bet365.
Gladbach vs. Mainz: The 05ers’ defense is strong!
The 2-1 win against Leipzig was particularly strong, as they even managed to come back from a goal down. They have only conceded one goal in the last four matches, with the goal against RB falling almost as soon as the game kicked off.
They have kept a clean sheet in the second half for seven matches. So you want to rule out Gladbach scoring in the second half on Friday with a bet? It’s possible, at Betano the odds are a strong 2.05.
In addition, you can benefit from the lucrative bonus at Betano. I mentioned the away defeats earlier – these could well be related to the absence of Jonathan Burkardt.
He was only on the field for three minutes in these three defeats! As soon as he returned from Heidenheim, he scored again, and he also scored in Leipzig, of course.
Will Gladbach find consistency again?
Nine of Burkardt’s 14 goals were scored away from home, so Gladbach definitely have to fear this man. In recent years, there have been quite a few draws between the two clubs, with Mainz even winning two of the most recent away games at Böckelberg.
After four home appearances without a win, Gladbach are all the more challenged on Friday. They followed up their surprisingly clear 3-0 defeat to Augsburg with a 3-0 win against Heidenheim, delivering the desired response.
One of the last six games was lost, including four points against Stuttgart and Frankfurt. But: at the same time, only two of the last six home games ended with three points.
Well, they didn’t win before the defeat against Augsburg against Bayern, Dortmund and Frankfurt, that can happen. Bochum, St. Pauli, Union Berlin? Against these three clubs, the foals played at home to zero.
Not exactly the best advertisement for the defense, because this trio is fighting against relegation and, fittingly, also has the weakest offensive ranks! So a goal against on Friday is unavoidable!
On the other hand, they only didn’t score at home against Augsburg and FCB – it’s a good thing that Mainz is not from Bavaria. Also noticeable: Gladbach were only behind at home against Leverkusen on the first matchday.
I definitely have to mention that two important players, Joe Scally and Ko Itakura, will be missing due to suspension. Since both are at home on the defensive, this should increase Mainz’s chances.
My Gladbach Mainz tip:
Can Mainz continue to cause a stir in the top four of the Bundesliga? In any case, they have impressively overcome their minor crisis, and their away form is now back to normal.
On the Gladbach side, I have to mention the bitter personnel losses, and there is a lack of consistency, which is more of a given at 05. I have also noticed that Mainz have enjoyed playing against Gladbach for a few years now.
All in all, I can’t imagine the guests losing. However, since the past few years have seen a lot of draws, I have decided to go with the following tip:
Gladbach and Mainz share the points!
