German Bundesliga
2025-08-24 - Mainz vs Koln
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Football; Germany: Bundesliga
MEWA Arena - Mainz
Sunday, 24th August 2025 - kickoff 15:30 CET
Mainz
Mainz have been regularly underestimated in the recent seasons, despite being one of the more solid and most stable Bundesliga sides for years. They are compact, play as a team, and prove that even without star players, they can achieve good results.
Speaking of results, a thing we should not forget is that Mainz is unbeaten in 13 straight Bundesliga home games! That’s the longest unbeaten home streak currently of all teams in the Bundesliga.
Mainz already started their competitive season just fine, with a 0-1 away cup win against Dynamo Dresden last Monday.
There is a good sense of optimism in Mainz for the season, as they have gone through remarkable improvement under coach Bo Henriksen, who guided them to a 6th-place finish last season.
The offseason saw the departure of top scorer Jonathan Burkardt to Eintracht Frankfurt, but the acquisition of experienced striker Benedict Hollerbach from Union Berlin should fill that void.
Interestingly, all of the last three duels between Mainz and Koln ended in draws, with their most recent match ending 1-1 in April 2024.
Koln
Koln is the newly promoted team to the Bundesliga, facing the challenge of adapting to top-flight football.
Under the guidance of head coach Lukas Kwasniok, the team has shown potential, though they narrowly avoided an early exit in the DFB Pokal against Jahn Regensburg.
They are still a work in progress, so we should expect some mixed performances from them in the opening few rounds of the season.
The Betting Verdict
Mainz has the edge here. They are coming off a fantastic finish last season, and their unbeaten home run of 13 games at their MEWA Arena is impressive - they know how to control games in front of their fans.
Koln were competitive and luckily avoided embarrassment in their cup game, but still feel like a side that will need to adjust to the Bundesliga’s pace and intensity.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mainz take the lead early, soak up pressure, and then capitalize on any gaps Koln leaves at the back.
Expect a lively encounter, but overall, Mainz seems set to start their season with a confident win.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Mainz 2-1 Koln
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
Take Mainz to win at odds of 1.83 with Bet365
