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In preparation for their upcoming new league campaign, Besiktas will face German outfit Mainz at the Kufstein Arena on Friday in a friendly clash between the two teams.
Besiktas endured a highly underwhelming campaign last season as they went through three different managers en route to a sixth-place league finish, their lowest finish in the 21st century. They picked up 59 points from 38 games and missed out on European football completely for the first time in a decade.
The Super Lig outfit have had a busy summer with multiple players departing the club upon the expiration of their contracts, including Croatia's Domagoj Vida. Friday's game will mark their third pre-season game after facing Werder Bremen and Victoria Plzen in the past few days.
Mainz, on the other hand, enjoyed a solid Bundesliga campaign as they finished just outside the European spots in eighth-place after finishing their previous five league campaigns in the bottom half of the table. They ended the season with 46 points from 34 games, six behind Koln in the UEFA Europa Conference League spot.
The Nullfünfer will be targeting a stronger campaign next season and will begin their preparations with Friday's game before facing Newcastle United next week.
Besiktas vs Mainz Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The weekend clash will mark the second meeting between Besiktas and Mainz. Their first-ever matchup came in a friendly game back in 2014 which ended 1-1.
- The Turkish club won just six of their 19 league games on foreign grounds last season.
- The Nullfünfer struggled for results away from home last season and ended their league campaign with the second-worst away record.
- The Black Eagles played out 14 league draws last season, the most in the Turkish top-flight.
- Mainz ended the recently-concluded campaign with a positive goal difference of five after finishing the previous five seasons with negative goal differences. Their goal tally of 50 was their highest since they scored 52 under Thomas Tuchel back in the 2013-14 season.
Besiktas vs Mainz Prediction
Besiktas closed out their league season with just one defeat in their final nine games. They are unbeaten in their two pre-season outings so far and will be keen to keep that run going this Friday.
Mainz picked up two wins and a draw in their final three games of the season after winning just one of their eight prior. They particularly struggled to perform on foreign grounds last season and could suffer defeat here.
Prediction: Besiktas 2-1 Mainz
Besiktas vs Mainz Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Beskitas
Tip 2 - Both teams to score: YES (Both sides have found the back of the net in six of Mainz' last eight outings)
Tip 3 - Besiktas to concede first: YES (The Black Eagles have conceded the first goal in five of their last seven games)
