Henriksen: "We head into the clash as favourites"

Both teams will be hoping for an upturn in form when Mainz host Kiel on Saturday (kick-off 15:30 CEST) after each fell to defeat last time out. FSV lost 3-1 away in Dortmund, while Werder Bremen beat the Storks 3-0 on their own patch. Nevertheless, the outlook remains vastly contrasting for the two clubs, with the 05ers looking for points in the race for European qualification as Holstein hope for a result to aid their quest to avoid the drop.

FSV ran out convincing 3-0 winners in November’s reverse fixture as Nadiem Amiri (11’), Jonny Burkardt (37’) and Jae-sung Lee (53’) all got on the score sheet, with the latter netting against his former employers. Mainz currently occupy fourth spot in the standings and have 45 points to their name, while Kiel’s haul of 17 points leaves them at the foot of the table.

HEAD COACH Bo Henriksen SPOKE IN HIS PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT...

...team news for Saturday: “Stefan Bell remains unavailable but should be able to return to team training within two or three weeks, but that is still up in the air. Dominik Kohr serves the remainder of his suspension while Maxim Dal is also absent. Otherwise, everyone else is fit and ready to go against Kiel.”

...the possibility of qualifying for Europe: “We are continuing to put in the work each and every day, giving our all as we do. The signs in training are positive and we are only improving. I know it sounds rather dull but we had success at the end of last season through simply taking things game-by-game, so that is what we need to do this time around as well. We obviously want to qualify for continental competition and if we do that then that’s great but if we don’t then we certainly gave it a good go.”

...discourse with rotational players: “I believe that it is important for us to speak with every member of the squad in order to make them aware of their role. There are obviously a number of players who are unhappy with their minutes but that’s a good thing, because it would be a problem if we had a player who didn’t mind not playing. It’s something of a balancing act for me, but I will always be honest with each of my players. Sometimes people have differences of opinion but that’s okay as well. Everyone needs to know where they stand and what role they possess.”

...the importance of home fixtures: “We obviously want to win every game we play. We are aware that we head into Saturday’s clash with Kiel as favourites and I hope that our performance at the weekend is good enough to secure all three points. Three further home matches then remain on the schedule against Wolfsburg, Frankfurt and Leverkusen, each of which will be a very tough test. Nevertheless, we aim to win all four of these home games because we know that we will need to rack up the points if we are to achieve something come the end of the season.”

...the upcoming opponent: “Kiel will have prepared well for this contest. They have a good coach who sets them up differently according to requirements for each game so it’s tricky to create an exact plan to take them on. We know that they can play some good football so we will need to bring the energy if we are to beat them. It won’t be an easy task but this is a game that we simply have to win against a side fighting for survival. They need points just as we do so it should be an exciting affair.”

...motivational team talks before kick-off: “I look to get a specific feeling from each player ahead of matches, which I try to extract with what I say to them. I make my talks very individual, since some require a bit of added motivation or energy, while others need reining in a tad. The players need to have the right balance of self-belief, while also being prepared as best they can for the contest.”