Rosenborg vs Mainz: Who will seize the advantage in the first leg of the Conference League qualifiers?
On Thursday, August 21, Rosenborg will face Mainz in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League playoff qualifying round. The match is set to kick off at 18:00 CET, and here’s my take on the best bet for this clash.
Rosenborg vs Mainz: Match preview
Norwegian side Rosenborg started their Conference League qualifying journey from the third round. They cruised past Lithuanian club Banga, thrashing their opponents over two legs and netting seven goals in the process. In the next stage, Rosenborg took on Swedish side Hammarby: the first encounter ended in a goalless draw, but the Norwegians clinched a 1-0 victory away from home. Simultaneously, the club is battling hard in the domestic league, where after 18 rounds they’ve collected 30 points and trail the fourth-placed team by just three.
Mainz finished last season sixth in the Bundesliga table, picking up 52 points over 34 games and edging out the teams in seventh and eighth by just a single point. Thanks to their strong coefficient ranking, Mainz enters the Conference League right at the playoff round. However, they’ve already kicked off their new campaign with an official match in the German Cup: in the round of 64, they beat Dynamo Dresden 1-0 to advance. This weekend, Mainz will also get their Bundesliga season underway.
Match facts and head-to-head statistics
- Rosenborg have lost just one of their last five matches.
- Mainz are unbeaten in nine consecutive games.
- Rosenborg are undefeated at home in their last five fixtures.
- This will be the first ever meeting between these two clubs.
Probable lineups
- Rosenborg: Tangvik, Vítry, Pereira, Nemcik, Seide, Selnes, Reitan-Zunde, Väyänën, Nordli, Islamovic, Setter
- Mainz: Zentner, Bell, Mwene, Kaci, Hanche-Olsen, Nebel, Amiri, Lee, da Costa, Sano, Burkardt
Prediction
This encounter promises to be an intense battle, with both teams eyeing a place in the group stage. My pick: over 2.5 total goals at odds of 1.87.
