Conference League
2025-12-18 - Mainz vs Samsunspor
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Football; UEFA Europa Conference League: 06th Round
MEWA Arena – Mainz, Germany
Thursday, 18th December 2025 - kickoff 21:00 CET
Mainz
Mainz have been in a strange season: struggling in the Bundesliga yet relatively comfortable in Europe.
Last weekend, they earned a morale-boosting 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich, with coach Urs Fischer praising the midfield work and athletic effort from his players after a performance that showed fight despite league position.
Domestically, they sit bottom of the Bundesliga, but that effort in Munich (and momentum from Europe) suggests this group isn’t without belief.
In the UEFA Conference League, Mainz have been one of the more consistent sides, with three wins from their five group matches and still very much alive in the fight to secure a strong position.
The group table is tight, and a win here could very well put Mainz through to the round of 16 automatically. They have also shown they can get results without dominating possession — in Europe, their organisation and fight have eclipsed individual talent.
Defensively, Mainz haven’t been great overall this season. They conceded regularly at home, but in the Conference League, they’ve defended well enough to stay unbeaten in most of their fixtures. Their goalkeeper, Daniel Batz, has stepped up in big moments, and even with some absences in midfield and defence, the team feel like they have found a bit of cohesion under Fischer.
Samsunspor
Samsunspor arrive here in a good position — they sit fifth in the UEFA Conference League group with 10 points and a strong +6 goal difference, a remarkable achievement in their first significant European league phase.
They have a string of poor recent results domestically in Turkey (two draws and two defeats in the last four), but in this competition, they’ve proven resilient, winning three of five matches, the same as Mainz. They have an aggressive attacking profile that makes them dangerous in transitions.
Samsunspor’s European run hasn’t been perfect — a recent 1-2 loss to AEK Athens ended their unbeaten start, but overall they have shown quality in creating and scoring goals at a steady clip.
The Betting Verdict
This is a big European night for Mainz. A win seals automatic qualification to the UEFA Conference League knockout stages and would give Fischer a huge confidence boost — both in Europe and for the club’s fragile domestic situation. Mainz won both home matches in the UEFA Conference League this season and know what’s at stake.
Samsunspor arrive with momentum, having shown they can hurt teams with pace and direct attacking play, but they have also failed to win their last two matches and will be up against a motivated Mainz side.
It should be a lively and open game, where I believe Mainz will come out on top.
The Pick :
Mainz 2-1 Samsunspor
BEST BETTING TIP :
Take Mainz to win at odds of 1.62 with Bet365
