100 percent needed against a tricky opponent

The Mainzer head back out on the road this Sunday as they travel to Heidenheim with sights set on earning their first point away from home since December 2024 (kick-off 19:30 CET). The 05ers are still yet to emerge victorious from a clash with FCH after three attempts, with the teams drawing once and Heidenheim twice coming away with the win.

However, Frank Schmidt’s side have been finding life tough of late. After four consecutive defeats at the hands of St. Pauli, Augsburg, Dortmund and Freiburg, Heidenheim remain the only club still yet to record a point in the second half of the Bundesliga season. That has left FSV’s upcoming opponents sitting 16th in the standings and with 14 points to their name after 21 rounds of fixtures. Meanwhile, Mainz’s most recent result, a goalless draw at home to FC Augsburg, saw them move onto 32 points which places them in seventh spot in the league table.

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

...team news for Sunday: “Stefan Bell remains sidelined, while Philipp Mwene hasn’t been able to train at 100 percent this week – we will have to see how he is on the day. Everyone else is fit and raring to go.”

...possible alternative to Mwene: “We have a number of options. Nikolas Veratschnig did a great job after being subbed on against Augsburg last week, and he’s incredibly fast too. Silvan Widmer and Anthony Caci can play in that position too, so we have some good options to replace Philipp if he isn’t fit to play.”

...Jonny Burkardt: “I don’t think Jonny is a risk for Sunday. We don’t know if he’s got 90 minutes in him yet, but he will definitely be on board and is an option to start.”

...having the lion’s share of possession: “For us, it’s not massively important to have the ball. Our focus is more on having possession in the right areas of the pitch. It’s no use having 70, 80 or 90 percent of possession in our own half. There have been some games recently where we’ve had more of the ball but not won, like against Augsburg. Really, we should be winning eight out of 10 games when we have that much possession. Nevertheless, we know that we’ve taken a step forward in terms of our ability on the ball, and our opponents are aware that we can play football. We need patience and cleverness  in order to increase our chances of winning and to turn games in our favour when we’re on top.”

...the game against Heidenheim: “It’s always tricky against Heidenheim. We’re coming up against a strong opponent who like to play it long and win second balls. It’s difficult to prepare yourself for a match like this, because we know that there’s every chance that we won’t be able to dominate possession against Heidenheim. They press high and don’t allow you to settle into the game.”

...Heidenheim’s trip to Copenhagen: “I’m not really fussed about how Heidenheim played yesterday. They had a very different starting line-up to how they normally set up in the Bundesliga – they made ten changes compared to the game in Freiburg. So that match doesn’t play much of a role for us and we’re simply focusing on being ready ourselves and delivering a performance. We particularly have to improve in the first 10 or 15 minutes away from home.”

...Nelson Weiper’s development: “Nelly is only 19 years old and has a big future ahead of him. If he keeps on working like he has in the last two games, the sky’s the limit. I’m really proud that he’s been able to take this step forward in the last few weeks. He is fast, big, puts in the hard yards and hopefully will play an important role for us on Sunday, as he has put in great performances of late.”

...his own role: “My job is to rid the players of any anxiety so that they can play freely. However, it’s important for us to understand that we have to deliver 100 percent in every single game – if we don’t do that, we have a big problem and will lose. We have to keep that balance, because we know what we want and what it takes to win.”