Football Bet of the Day: Cup clash could go all the way

Hosts can at least avoid defeat in 90 minutes

Bochum v Mainz
Tuesday 18 January, 19:45

We had a nail-biting evening in Portugal last night, but eventually Portimonense delivered the goal we needed in their 1-1 draw with Vitoria Guimaraes. Who needs the drama of Line of Duty when you've got the Primeira Liga?

We'll take the money and run to Germany, because it's the third round of the DFB Pokal this week, and I think Mainz are too short to win at Bochum.

The two teams met in the Bundesliga on Saturday, and although Mainz scraped a 1-0 win, it's worth noting that Bochum missed a penalty with the score at 0-0. When these sides met in the reverse fixture at the Ruhrstadion, Bochum won 2-0, a game that included a stunning solo goal from winger Gerritt Holtmann.

Bochum have only lost one of their last seven home games in the league, and with the international break on the horizon, my suspicion is that coach Thomas Reis will take this game seriously. Bochum are in mid-table in the league, so they have scope to play their best side here.

Mainz have lost their last four away games, and they do tend to be stronger at the MEWA Arena. They haven't kept a clean sheet on their travels since September, and they certainly didn't outclass Bochum at the weekend.

Mainz are the firm favourites here, and I don't think they should be. I'll back Bochum/Draw Double Chance and Under 3.5 Goals on the Sportsbook's Bet Builder at 2.111/10. Only one of Bochum's last ten competitive games have featured more than three goals.