Schalke traveled to Mainz desperate for three points to get them back into the Champions League race. Here are the player ratings for the match.
Schalke‘s lackluster 1-1 draw against Paderborn put them in a tough spot. Sitting in sixth, with the top five all establishing some leeway from Die Knappen, they had to come back with three points against Mainz, even away from home.
Thankfully, three points would have given them a nice little cushion on seventh, as well as keeping them within striking distance of the top five.
David Wagner didn’t make many changes to the starting XI. Jonjoe Kenny returned from injury, which is obviously always a nice thing. Jean-Clair Todibo came in for an injured Ozan Kabak. Michael Gregoritsch kept his place, despite my insistence that Ahmed Kutucu start in his stead. But again, the resources were all there for a bounce-back fixture.
It was all Mainz in the early bits. Another first 15 minutes where Schalke looked completely incapable of scoring a goal. The hosts, meanwhile, were getting in on goal and threatening in a big way. The game leveled out going into half time, but the threats were still few and far between.
The levelness continued in the second half, with neither team able to put anything noteworthy together. The best opportunities came from Weston McKennie including a header at the end that should have won his side the match, but in the end, another goalless draw.
Here are the player ratings: