Respect for the opposition, focus on our own game

The 2023/24 season begins for the 1. FSV Mainz 05 players on Saturday as they face SV Elversberg away from home at the Ursapharm Arena (kick-off at 18:00 CEST) in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. The team from the Saarland region welcome FSV after a strong season which resulted in their promotion to the 2. Bundesliga. “It’s the hardest draw that we could have received”, Svensson admitted during Thursday’s press conference. The Mainz head coach isn’t allowed to go into the changing room from 30 minutes before kick-off until half an hour after the full-time whistle due to a suspension picked up during last season’s cup campaign and cannot contact his team either directly or indirectly. “That is naturally tough for me, but it is what it is. I have complete faith in the rest of the coaching set-up”, said Svensson. His assistant coach, Babak Keyhanfar, will make the relevant decisions on the touchline. However, the main focus at FSV is on the contents of their own game. 

The Dane believes that his team is on the right track after five weeks of pre-season. FSV ran out winners in all four friendlies against Gensingen/Grolsheim, Koblenz, St. Gallen and Burnley and were greeted with ideal conditions during their training camp in Schladming in Austria. FSV were also able to avoid injuries for the most part during the last few weeks. “It’s a good feeling, but nothing more than that”, Svensson said. “There are things that we need to improve. We won 3-0 against Burnley, but there wasn’t that much between the teams. We look at things rationally, as do the opposition.”

“Elversberg haven’t got worse”

A real test is waiting for the Zerofivers in the shape of Elversberg. The team from the Saarland region have already begun their league season in the 2. Bundesliga. After two games, SVE have only accrued a single point. “They should have six points” according to Svensson, who also points to the last meeting between the sides two years ago. On that occasion, the then fourth-division side were on the verge of causing an upset. FSV were twice able to find an equaliser against Elversberg, eventually progressing after a penalty shoot-out. “They haven’t got worse”, the Mainz head coach knows, who describes SVE as “very well-drilled and assured in their style of play”. Lots of quick, individually strong players lie in wait for the Zerofivers. 

“We need to be ready for that”, Svensson expects the right attitude, physical effort and collective hard-work from his players to reach the same objective. “I am anxious about how we achieve that. We need to do so in order to advance to the next round. It’s a very good test for us.”

Question marks over the defence

Aside from long-term injuries to Jonny Burkardt and Silvan Widmer, the Dane can draw from an almost full contingent of players. Question marks still loom over the options in defence. Andreas Hanche-Olsen, who had to be substituted against Burnley, and Maxim Leitsch are still in individual training. New arrival Sepp van den Berg is in contention to be in the squad, but not in the starting XI, and Alex Hack has been released for talks with another club. One player who performed well in pre-season and represents another option is Merveille Papela. The home-grown talent who was on loan at SV Sandhausen last season showed in pre-season that he’s stepped his game up. “He’s at a higher level compared to last year and he’s playing to the best of his ability every day. I’m very pleased with him. He’s got what it takes to play for Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga,” says Svensson. Regardless of line-up, a tricky task lies ahead for FSV.