Henriksen: An exciting run of games

FSV (5th) are away against RB Leipzig (6th) on Saturday afternoon (15:30 CET). While the hosts are currently unbeaten in their last six Bundesliga games, they have only won one of them. The side from Saxony, coached by Mainz legend Marco Rose, managed to reach the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal in midweek with a 1-0 victory over VfL Wolfsburg. Just like the 05ers, RBL are on 38 points after 23 matchdays.

HEAD COACH BO HENRIKSEN SPOKE IN HIS PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT...

...the squad for Saturday: “Stefan Bell is still out and will only be back in four or five weeks. Dominik Kohr is serving a yellow-card suspension. We’ll have to see if Phillipp Mwene is able to feature tomorrow or not. Everyone else is fit and ready.”

...the upcoming opponents: “Considering the current state of the table, it’s clear that it’s an important game – but it’s no more important than our last match or the one after it. We need to perform well if we want to take one or all three points back to Mainz with us. We’re heading there to win the game, as we always do. Leipzig are unbeaten in their last six Bundesliga games. They’ve played three games over the last week and are a really good side, but that’s not too important for us because we’ll just focus on ourselves.”

...his tactical approach: “The fact that we have defended really well in recent weeks has been vital. We haven’t conceded a single goal in each of our last three games. We’ve got a good chance of winning in Leipzig if we keep another clean sheet – it’s not rocket science.”

...another enforced change to the defence: “It’s normally an issue when you have to change the defence after some good performances, but we’ve got excellent players and a number of options to replace Kohr. The most likely candidate is Andreas Hanche-Olsen, who was one of our most important players last season with the best defensive stats. We know what he brings to the team. Hanche always has a lot of energy and obviously wants to play, so I've got no issue with picking him.”

...the reverse fixture against Leipzig: “I thought we played well despite losing the game, but we had a few issues with our defensive block. We’ve worked on it a little during training this week to make sure we’re prepared. Our defensive play will be an important factor tomorrow.”

...the importance of the next four games: “The next few games won’t decide where we finish in the table. We’ve got 11 matches left in total and all of them are really important. Having a situation like this where we’ve only got exciting games left is what motivates you the most and is what you enjoy the most as well.”

...taking part in the Carnival Monday parade: “It’s part of the culture here at this club and in this city. I arrived in Mainz on Carnival Monday last year and caught a bit of it. The players and coaching staff are now excited to be on the float together and experience it all. It would obviously be better if we can enjoy it on the back of a win. I’m not sure what I’m going to dress up as yet. I feel like I already make a good costume!”