A confident performance needed against last season’s runners-up

On Saturday afternoon, Mainz host VfB Stuttgart in their first home game of the second half of the season (kick-off 15:30 CET). The visitors come into the game off the back of three straight wins, triumphing over Augsburg, Leipzig and Freiburg to take them onto 32 points and up to fourth in the league standings. The 05ers are not far behind, with their 28 points seeing them in sixth spot; however, they have narrowly lost each of their last two matches, away to first Leverkusen and then Union Berlin.

The 05ers will aim to demonstrate their strength on their own patch once again against VfB, having won four consecutive games at the MEWA ARENA. The latest meeting between Mainz and Stuttgart turned out to be a dramatic affair with the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign finishing in a 3-3 draw, despite the fact VfB had led 2-0 at one stage. Maxim Leitsch was the hero for FSV that day, popping up with a header in stoppage time to rescue a point. This time around, the 05ers will be hoping to clinch all three.

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

…his return to the sideline: “Having to watch from the stands in Berlin was agony. Obviously, I know the suspension was a result of my own mistake and I am just pleased to be able to coach from the sideline once again against Stuttgart in order to help the team. That way I can make sure energy levels stay high.”

...squad updates: “Jonny Burkardt, Moritz Jenz, and Gabriel Vidovic will all definitely miss the Stuttgart game. We are still unsure as to when Jonny will be able to make his return. Potentially, he might be back for the match in Bremen but it could also be against Augsburg. Everyone else is fit and ready for the game tomorrow.”

...the need for a better performance than the one given in Berlin: “You can’t give 95% in the Bundesliga and expect to be successful. It has to be 100% every time if are to be in with a chance of winning. I am anticipating an improved display against Stuttgart and want to see us going into every tackle with everything we’ve got. We know how well we can play if everyone shares that same positive attitude and goes out there with the intention of winning every ball. If we don’t do that then we can’t play well which was evident in Berlin.”

...Lennard Maloney: “Lennard is already an option for us against Stuttgart. He is fully fit and ready to play having worked extremely hard in training. We will see tomorrow whether or for how long he will be on the pitch. He provides us with an option in multiple positions since he can play in defensive midfield as well as across the back line, so serves as a very beneficial new signing.”

...Stuttgart’s good form: “We obviously know just how good a team VfB Stuttgart are but we have also spotted potential routes to goal in our analysis. We cannot simply sit back and defend. We need to repeatedly look to get on the front foot, demonstrating confidence on the ball while operating effectively in the half-spaces. A very tough opponent awaits us but at the same time anything can happen when we play at home.”