Schalke 04 and Mainz 05 played out a 0-0 draw at the Veltins-Arena on Friday night, although both sides did have chances to win the game in an end-to-end encounter.
Stefan Bell for the visitors and Jefferson Farfan for the hosts came closest in the first half, but both players put their efforts wide.
In the second half Schalke were perhaps the better team, but a lack of creativity in the final third meant that they had to settle for a point.
Read how the action unfolded below.
Hello Bundesliga fans! It's time for the start of week 22 of the season. Today's Friday night game is Schalke 04 against Mainz 05. Both teams are enjoying a good time of things at the moment, so it should be a good game.
Schalke, fourth in the table, have been scintillating lately. Earlier in the season their defence was quite leaky, but this has been plugged a lot since the start of the Ruckrunde and as such they have let in just two goals in their last four games. They have won four on the spin and will be eyeing another here.
Before we go further into the build-up, let's have a peek at the two teams, shall we? Will Thomas Tuchel set up for a draw tonight against what will surely be an attacking XI from Jens Keller. Let's see...
SCHALKE XI: Fahrmann; Hoogland, Matip, Santana, Kolasinac; Boateng, Neustadter; Farfan, Meyer, Goretzka; Huntelaar
MAINZ XI: Karius; Pospech, Bell, Noveski, Park; Geis, Moritz; Junior Diaz, Koo, Muller; Okazaki
Schalke subs: Hildebrand, Draxler, Papadopoulos, Obasi, Fuchs, Ayhan, Szalai
Mainz subs: Kresic, Saller, Zimling, Choupo-Moting, Malli, Bungert, Parker
So as you can see from the Schalke bench, Julian Draxler is back in the squad. He's not ready to start, though, but there can't be many better impact players than him if some creativity is needed. Klass-Jan Huntelaar leads the line again and why not with his ability? Schalke's upturn in form has coincided with his return - but it's not a coincidence.
Mainz's main threat will be Shinji Okazaki as he so often is. I expect Schalke to have plenty of the ball, so Okazaki's use of it when he gets a touch will be crucial to his side's chances. Remember, Schalke will move up to third - or second with a thumping win - with victory today, so tonight is huge for them.
So what do the bookmakers think? Even with Schalke's current form they haven't been made the heavy favourites, with 4/6 the best price you can get on them. Mainz are back at around 4/1, which for me isn't quite enough to be tempting. The draw at 3/1 is very interesting, though.
But more importantly what do I think? I'm afraid I'll have to agree with the bookies today - I can see a win, albeit a narrow one, for the home side. Even without Draxler starting I think they should have too much. Let's say 2-1.
KICKOFF: Here we go then! The game is underway. Mainz straight on to the ball and passing well to begin with.
Schalke unable to get out of their own half at the moment. Moritz does really well wide on the right to earn a corner, which Geis goes over to take.
Finally Schalke see a bit of the ball. Moritz is forced to defend as Kolasinac looks to cross from the left. He goes back to Santana in the end, whose deep ball is so easily gathered by Karius in the away goal. A decent start this.
First effort on goal, but Santana would have had to have done very well to score that. Boateng's ball goes in and Santana meets it from around 10 yards, but it goes wide. Very slight chance, that.
CLOSE! The Mainz fans at the other end think it's in! Stefan Bell meets the corner in front of the near post, but it goes wide and again it would have been a great effort to score from that angle. Mainz have been really good so far.
Farfan almost manages to get a corner to curl all the way in! I'm not sure he meant it, but his cross goes out of play off the bar - that has to go down as a waste.
Although Farfan's corner just now was the closest either side has come, it didn't really threaten Karius. Schalke have not been their usual fluid selves in attack so far. Huntelaar has been completely isolated and Mainz deserve credit for that.
Huntelaar is already looking frustrated, and this time his fury is directed at Meyer. The 18-year-old made completely the wrong pass there, going over the top when Huntelaar had run left. Wasteful.
Good effort there from Soto, who shoots from range and forces Fahrmann into a stretching save to push it wide. Mainz still easily the best team here.
Koo strikes a poor shot over the bar from range. There's a real lack of creativity at both ends, though. It's an unusually tense game here at Veltins-Arena. There needs to be a moment of magic or a disaster.
Mainz have enjoyed more of the possession and it's surprising that they are not being put under any pressure on the ball as the away team. It means that the Schalke wide men have not been involved at all so far.
A little bit better there for Schalke, as Huntelaar gets his first sight of goal. His shot is blocked, however, and goes behind for a corner before Mainz manage to get it clear.
Huntelaar has another sight of goal now, but this time his effort from around 20 yards skids wide. Difficult chance, but he does look a little frustrated and could certainly have tested Karius.
CHANCE! Really good sight of goal there for Farfan, who was found by Meyer but could only put his shot from an angle into the side netting. Again he might have done better but Schalke are starting to get on top here.
Goretzka and Meyer are starting to get some joy in this one and when they're in motion they are brilliant to watch. Kolasinac is off the pitch for treatment after a clash of heads with Koo. He's ok though, I think.
Okazaki does well to get to the byline, but Boateng covers really well to track Koo. It sets up a Schalke break, with Kolasinac in the end shooting from the left but his effort is blocked. Mainz manage to clear for a throw - they got back well there.
CHANCE! Okazaki has worked really hard today and he got in behind again. He got the wrong side of Matip there but his shot went over via a deflection I think.
CLOSE! So very close to a goal there! Meyer cuts back from the byline to Farfan, who takes a touch before seeing his shot deflect narrowly wide of the far post. This is a strong finish to the half.
Late corner for Mainz. It comes in and bobbles about a bit before eventually Diaz has a half-chance from the edge of the box but kind of chips it over the bar.
HALF-TIME: Schalke 0-0 Mainz
The half had a slow start, but from about 25 minutes it was a very open game. Mainz have probably had the better of the chances - with Okazaki coming close with a first-time effort - but Schalke have had one or two big ones.
You know who might help at the break here... a certain Mr Draxler. As he's on the bench he's presumably ready to play, and his ability to create is what is really lacking here.
Okazaki has been excellent so far and has really managed to find a lot of space. As well as that, Koo has been creative and tricky. Mainz certainly have a goal in them tonight.
Not long until the second half gets underway. There are very few 0-0s in this league, so I certainly don't think we'll have one tonight with the attacking players on display.
Here we go then - Schalke kick things off for the second half. Immediately Goretzka looks to get in behind on the left, but the ball just drifted away from him. Good start.
Shot from Okazaki there from the edge of the box.He struck it well enough and kept it down, but it was straight at Fahrmann in the end who clung on to it. Mainz are still very confident on the ball.
CHANCE! Glorious opportunity for the hosts! Karius with a dreadful clearance straight at Meyer, but then the keeper does well to block the shot. It comes out to Boateng, who clips it back into the arms of Karius - just not enough on it. Lucky escape there for the visiting stopper.
Poor pass there from Goretzka to Huntelaar, which puts to an end a dangerous counter-attack. Mainz come forward from it and although Schalke win it back the away side are playing with a really good tempo off the ball.
BOOKING: Junior Diaz for Mainz goes into the book and that's fair enough - he was late into a tackle. Can Schalke get things going in the final third before long?
CHANCE! Best chance of the game there for Bell! Mainz should be leading. A corner is nodded back into the danger area and the centre-back was left totally unmarked but somehow he put it straight at Fahrmann.
CHANCE! Draxler is warming up on the sidelines, and the player he will probably replace, Goretzka, has just forced Karius to turn the ball wide with a chest and half volley. Decent effort, but Karius probably could have held it.
SCHALKE SUB: Here does come Draxler for his first appearance since December. It's Meyer he replaces, who has not been great, before Muller goes into the book for a deliberate handball.
Draxler has taken up Meyer's role directly behind Huntelaar, so no tactical change as yet. The new man hasn't had much of the ball so far, but plenty of time for him to have an impact.
What an incredible waste of possession from Farfan. First Okazaki goes to ground and should probably be booked for diving. Schalke break through Farfan, who has players left and right but tries the hard option with the shot from range. It goes wide.
Just 20 minutes left for either side to break the deadlock here. It's certainly looking less likely that there will be a goal the longer this goes on. Mainz have defended a fair bit in this half but have worked well in numbers.
The Schalke layers seem reluctant at the moment to make things happen in attack. It hasn't worked so far so there is more and more safe passing. Someone needs to grab this by the scruff of the neck. Shawn Parker is on for Okazaki, while Maxim Choupo-Moting is on for Koo. Tuchel fancies this now.
Schalke are guilty of giving away too many free kicks at the moment. They don't defend the latest very well either, before Bell just slips as he tried to shoot. Schalke break but Boateng is tackled brilliantly by Soto before the Ghanaian brings down Parker soon after. A frantic minute or so.
That's about the best decision Karius has made all game as he comes out to punch a Farfan cross well. It goes back to the winger, but his next effort is easily headed away and cleared. Schalke are just upping the tempo slightly now - can they score?
SCHALKE SUB: Chinedu Obasi replaces Goretzka for the hosts. Perhaps he will be able to get in behind which the man he has replaced hasn't managed to in this half.
CHANCE! I think that's Schalke's best opportunity of the game so far. A cross comes in from Farfan and Boateng rises above everyone, but puts his header wide of the near post. He just didn't get enough on it and really should have scored.
MAINZ SUB: Benedikt Saller on for Muller in the final change for the visitors. Soto then has a chance from an angle, but gets it wrong and makes it easy for Fahrmann. He tried to wrap his left foot around it but it was an awful shot.
Fahrmann almost lets a harmless cross get beyond him at the far post, but he just about manages to squeeze it around the post for a corner.
It's a scrappy end to this game and I'd be stunned if there was a goal. Huntelaar is coming off late on and he does not look happy at all. Adam Szalai is on as the final throw of the dice.
Really good ball in from Farfan, who fizzes a whipped cross towards Boateng but the midfielder just couldn't stretch to turn it in. Just one minute of normal time remains.
Just one minute of time to be added on, despite six subs. This will be a 0-0 then.
FULL-TIME: Schalke 0-0 Mainz
That wasn't the worst game of football, but it was far from the best. There were chances at either end but not enough good ones and a draw is about the right result.
Thanks for joining me for the Bundesliga action tonight. There's plenty more tomorrow and Sunday so please do join me then. It's goodbye for now.
Written by
Matt Domm
Matt Domm
