Coming off the back of two consecutive victories, Mainz are set to host TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at the MEWA ARENA on Sunday (kick-off 15:30 CET). An upturn in form of late from FSV has seen them earn eight points from a possible 12 over the last four matches. Last weekend, upcoming opponents Hoffenheim emerged 4-3 winners from a spectacular contest against Leipzig – the first game under new head coach Christian Ilzer. The team from Sinsheim currently occupy 13th spot in the standings on 12 points, while the 05ers possess four more right now and sit five places higher in eighth.
Head coach Bo Henriksen spoke in his press conference about...
...squad updates: “Nelson Weiper has been a bit ill the past few days, while Gabriel Vidović recently underwent surgery on his ankle so will be out for a while longer. Besides that, everyone is fit and ready for Sunday.”
...his assessment of the opponent: “Obviously, I am hoping that we play well, but we know that we are up against a strong opponent in Hoffenheim and one that is very good on the ball. If we defend resolutely though, then we have every chance of getting the win. We need to play at a high intensity in order to get at them so that’s the plan for Sunday.”
...preparation for Hoffenheim under a new coach: “We are 100% ready for this contest. We’ve watched both of the games that they’ve played under new head coach Christian Ilzer so far, as well as his previous team’s matches. No matter what happens, we need to be solid at the back and win our tackles and second balls.”
...potential defensive changes to the starting line-up: “If you put in a good display and take your opportunities then you get rewarded. With that in mind, those playing in defence of late have undoubtedly earned their starting spots again against Hoffenheim. All three of them have been doing so, so well and we just want to put out the best team that we can, so the back line won’t be changed.”
...the Mainz fans: “Our fans are simply unbelievable. There were so many of them in Kiel and they gave us such incredible, noisy support throughout. The scene on a matchday in Mainz is a crazy one and it helps us out so much having them behind us. Therefore, we want to give them another win to celebrate on Sunday.”