A clear plan to take on the German champions

There’s a very different challenge ahead for FSV. After Mainz defeated bottom side Bochum 2-0 on Saturday, they now round off the first half of the season with a trip to face reigning Bundesliga champions Leverkusen on Tuesday (20:30 CET). Bayer have won their last six league games, making them the division’s most in-form team, while the 05ers have themselves won six of their last seven matches.

FSV have picked up an impressive 28 points from their 16 games, placing them fifth in the table. With an average of 1.74 points per game since taking over in February 2024, head coach Bo Henriksen has by some distance the best record of any Mainz 05 boss in history. On the other hand, Leverkusen have lost just one Bundesliga match so far this season. This is the same number as FC Bayern (against Mainz), whose closest challengers at the top are Bayer on 35 points. The 05ers will be supported by around 2,000 travelling fans. There will be an opportunity for away fans to buy tickets at the stadium on the day.

AT THE PRE-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE, HEAD COACH BO HENRIKSEN SPOKE ABOUT…

…Paul Nebel and Jonny Burkardt: “We always have to be a bit careful with Jonny. It’s obviously important that he doesn’t get injured. We’ll discuss today whether he’s going to play tomorrow or have a bit of a break. Paul is feeling better day by day. We’re not sure yet whether he’ll be back ready tomorrow or on Sunday.”

…taking on the champions: “Of course, we know that Leverkusen are a very good team. They finally won the title last season. We’re a good side too though, and we’ve worked out a plan. We want to play with courage and dynamism, and we’ll also need to defend really well. If we do that, we’ll have a good chance tomorrow.”

…Mainz’s confidence levels: “We can’t start thinking that we’re too good for teams like Bochum. You need to be at your maximum performance and energy levels to win games in the Bundesliga. Especially ahead of tomorrow’s game, we need to be aware that we must be at 110 percent to have a chance, otherwise we’ll lose.”

…the short amount of time to prepare: “We’ll probably only train for about 40 minutes today so that we have enough energy for the game. Other than that, we’ll have two video analysis sessions, and then we’ll be ready for tomorrow evening. Weeks with multiple matches are always special, but I love to play a lot. It’s just so much fun.”

…the secret to success: “There’s no secret. I have a very, very good team. The whole club is unbelievable. Everything works in tandem. We believe in one another and know that if we put up a fight, we’ll have a good chance. From a tactical perspective, we’re getting better and better, but everyone knows that it can’t always be plain sailing in football. At the moment though, we’re very happy about our good form and need to keep that up.”