Henriksen: “It’s time to attack!”

VfL Wolfsburg visit 1. FSV Mainz 05 on matchday 30 as the business end of the season really gets underway. FSV are currently on 46 points and sit in fifth place, an excellent position to be in despite their recent four-game winless streak. Head coach Bo Henriksen believes it’s a fantastic opportunity to achieve something big: “We can only win and having nothing to lose. We will go into the final few weeks of the season full of motivation, courage and belief. We want to chase a place in Europe and not just try and defend our spot in the table – that’s got to be our approach for the coming weeks.”

Unbeaten at home since October, Mainz are hoping to secure their seventh home win of the campaign when Wolfsburg are in town. “We’re at home in front of a sold-out stadium. Our fans are incredible and that’s what football is all about,” said the Dane ahead of the clash on Easter Sunday.

THE FSV COACH SPOKE AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT...

...the last four games: “We’re unfortunately without a win in our last few games. The most important thing is that we play well, which we didn’t in Hoffenheim. Being without players like Nadiem Amiri and Jonny Burkardt is difficult for a club like us. Despite that, my team tried their best and could have scored in the second half.”

…Jonny Burkardt and Phillipp Mwene: “Jonny has trained all week, but not with a full workload. We need to make the right decision regarding him – hopefully he can play. We’re not sure yet regarding Phillipp. We’ll have to wait a little longer and see tomorrow if he’s ready or not.”

...Paul Nebel’s suspension: “He’s had an incredible season so far and is extremely important for us. He’s getting better and better and covers lots of ground, but we still have other players who are capable of playing in his position. I think we can play well even without Paul.”

...Nikolas Veratschnig: “I think Niki can play in the middle and on the wings, so we weren’t experimenting last weekend with where we played him. He’s aggressive and really quick. His runs in behind didn’t fully work against Hoffenheim and we had to move him due to Phillipp’s injury, but Niki is getting better with each day, and I believe he’s a really good player.”

...the upcoming opponents: “We are coming up against a team full of really, really good players with lots of quality, we know that. Wolfsburg have a lot of players that can get into the half-spaces and they are dangerous with shots from distance. Nevertheless, we feel good about the game because it’s at home and we obviously hope we play well and beat them.”

...the remaining games this season: “We have five games to go and have absolutely nothing to lose. We won’t get relegated this season and regardless of where we finish, it will be a successful campaign, so we can only win from now on. Our fans are incredible. 10,000 of them turned up to watch us in Hoffenheim last week, that’s what football is all about. We will go into the final few weeks of the season full of motivation, courage and belief. We want to chase a place in Europe and not just try and defend our spot in the table. The Champions League has been a bit like the elephant in the room for us recently, and maybe that meant a few guys weren’t as relaxed as they should be. It’s now time to attack and have fun while playing football – when we do that, we’re a really good side.”