“We have to be really clever”

Following a short winter break, Mainz 05 are back in action on Saturday (15:30 CET) at home to VfL Bochum on matchday 16. Dieter Hecking’s team have endured a tough season so far but are unbeaten in their last two Bundesliga games (at Union Berlin and at home to Heidenheim). They currently sit in last place with six points to their name.

Mainz, meanwhile, enjoyed a fine end to 2024, winning at home to league leaders FC Bayern and then claiming a 3-1 victory in Frankfurt, the team currently in third place. FSV’s recent results, including five wins from their last seven games, saw them go into the winter break on 25 points and in fifth place.

AT THE PRE-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE, HEAD COACH BO HENRIKSEN SPOKE ABOUT…

...the squad for Saturday: “Nadiem Amiri is suspended. We’ll have to speak to our medical team about Jonny and see how we manage him over the coming week. He will definitely be in the squad. Silvan Widmer has trained again this week and is an option for tomorrow. Daniel Gleiber is also on board.”

...Dominik Kohr playing in Amiri’s position: “I think there is a good feeling amongst the team right now and we’ve got a good balance. Dominik is obviously a different type of player to Nadiem, but the important thing is that we are as solid as we were in the friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt. Dominik has shown in the past that he’s a good midfielder too and that he can help us in this position as well, so it won’t be an issue.”

...Jonny Burkardt: “Jonny is somebody that always wants to play and train. It’s normally a good attitude, but we have to be smart about things and find the right balance for him. He knows how important he is to us and that we need to come to the right decision together.”

...potential new signings: “We’ve got a good side and I can only think about the players we’ve got here. It’d be great if we brought someone in from another club, but it’s fine if we don’t. We’ve got good depth and quality, so I’m really satisfied overall.”

...winning second balls against Bochum: “It will definitely be a factor, however having the ball, being active in the half spaces and playing good attacking football will also be important. We have to be clever too. Bochum are a strong side with a good coach. They’ve improved a lot in a tactical sense recently.”