Henriksen: "We respect but do not fear Dortmund"

Mainz head to the Signal Iduna Park on Sunday as they return to league action following the international break (kick-off 17:30 CEST). While the 05ers go into their Bundesliga matchday 27 clash as the division’s in-form side, picking up 13 of the last 15 points available, opponents and hosts Borussia Dortmund find themselves in a rather trickier situation. BVB have lost three of their previous five league fixtures and currently sit 11th in the standings on 35 points. Mainz have 10 more points to their name at this moment in time, occupying third spot.

The 05ers emerged 3-1 victors from the reverse fixture back in November 2024 to claim their first home win of the season. Following a red card for the visitors, Jae-sung Lee (36’), Jonny Burkardt (45+3’) and Paul Nebel (54’) bagged the goals for FSV to condemn BVB to already their fourth defeat on the road. Mainz also built on a positive recent track record in fixtures with Dortmund, extending their unbeaten streak against these opponents to four matches.

head coach Bo Henriksen spoke in his press conference about...

...being named Denmark’s Coach of the Year: “It is a great achievement to have been chosen by my fellow Danish coaches. However, I know that this is not just a reflection of my work but that of the entire team. Only via the club’s success is it possible to receive such awards. We have performed really well over the past year and that includes my assistant coaches as well as the backroom staff.”

...recent Germany call-ups: “I am very proud to see players like Jonny Burkardt and Nadiem Amiri pull on the Germany shirt and I personally attended the Nations League fixture between Germany and Italy in Dortmund. That was a great day for Mainz 05, as was that of the Germany U21 game in Darmstadt, in which Paul Nebel and Nelson Weiper both played.”

...team news: “Jonny is back in full team training and is fully fit for Sunday. He is looking forward to the match and will play, for sure. Stefan Bell remains absent, while Dominik Kohr and Phillipp Mwene are suspended. Everyone else is fit and available.”

...the upcoming clash: “This game should be a fun one since we know that we’re coming up against a great team. The most important thing is to try and put our own stamp on proceedings but we have a good feeling that we can create the chances to walk away with a positive result. We respect but do not fear Dortmund and although it is possible to lose against every opponent, we are also more than capable of defeating each of the teams we face.”

...aims for the final eight matches: “It might sound a bit boring but we are just taking things game-by-game. The Dortmund match is the most important one for us right now. We have eight finals ahead of us but the intensity in training is exceptional and we are only improving each day so we are definitely in the right place to achieve something. It’s all a lot of fun.”

...the current league position: “I see Dortmund as the favourites on Sunday with 80,000 home fans behind them. However, we are used to being up there in the table now and have dealt with it well. It doesn’t matter where or against whom we are playing. The important thing is that we stick together and believe that we can take something from the contest.”