“That’s football. It’s emotional , it’s everything.”

“The journey continues” - In 05ER.tv’s review of last season, Bo Henriksen not only looked back at the emotional relegation battle that ended with Mainz securing their survival in dramatic fashion, but also focused his attention on the upcoming campaign. 1. FSV Mainz 05 kick off their 16th straight season in the top division of German football on Saturday (15:30 CEST) against a familiar face. Legendary 05er Bo Svensson, who started last season in charge of Mainz, will be sat in the away dugout this time round as the head coach of FSV’s first opponents of the campaign – Union Berlin. It’s sure to be an emotional reunion before the first Bundesliga game of 2024/2025 kicks off, though the home side will be aiming to carry their momentum from the end of last season over and open their account at the first time of asking in front of a sold-out crowd at the MEWA ARENA over the course of the following 90 minutes. “We want to attack, attack, attack. Everyone in the city needs to have this mentality. If we just sit back and defend, it’ll be a long season. We need to attack and we’ll start doing just that on Saturday,” emphasised Henriksen ahead of Saturday’s clash.

Over 30,000 tickets have been sold for the 05er’s opening salvo in the league. “We’ve been awaiting this day for three months,” stressed Mainz’s head coach in Thursday’s press conference. He went on to say that having fun, giving 100% and starting the new Bundesliga season well with three points are the aims for Saturday. Having the opportunity to do all this at home in front of the Mainz fans will give the side a boost in this regard. The incredible support and the confidence gained from not having lost a game since the start of February has given all the Mainz players self-belief, reported the Dane. “The fans are unbelievable. The players speak about it in the changing rooms, too. It’s amazing how they always come up with new ideas and go above and beyond time and time again.” It makes him feel good: “It’s amazing. That’s football. It’s emotional, it’s everything.”

“Bo is a club legend”

In Union Berlin, a side that secured their spot in the Bundesliga with seconds left on the clock last season awaits the 05ers on Saturday. This season, FCU and their new coaching team, led by Svensson alongside two more former Mainzer - assistant coaches Babak Keyhanfar and Tijan Njie -, will likewise be aiming to start the season strongly. “We know that Union are a good side, but so are all the other teams in this division. We have a lot of respect for all our opponents, but we’re not afraid of them. I think we’ve got a good chance of winning on Saturday,” stated Henriksen, who doesn’t know his opposite number personally, but is well aware of how he influenced Mainz 05 during his time at the club. “He’s a club legend. We like him, but we want to win the game.”

Henriksen is hoping for “a good result and a slightly less tense affair than the match in Wiesbaden,” at the weekend, though the Dane noted that he would take a 1-0 victory. “We want to win, that’s the most important thing.” The squad situation will help Henriksen in this regard, as the list of absentees has shortened since the win against Wiesbaden. Edi Fernandes and Silvan Widmer are both back in training following illnesses, along with the rest of the squad. The 05ers have been building towards the start of the season for three months and progressed to the second round of the DFB-Pokal last week. “I’m happy,” expressed Henriksen. “The players know everything. Now, we’ve got to practice what we preach.”