“We want to use the opportunity to put in a better performance”

1. FSV Mainz 05 face Eintracht Frankfurt in a clash between local rivals at the MEWA ARENA on Sunday, 27th August (15:30 CEST). The 05ers, who are expecting to play in front of a sell-out crowd, want to put in a better performance against a top Bundesliga side than they did last weekend in many phases of the game against Union Berlin. “It is our first home game against a very strong opponent. We want to use the opportunity to put in a better performance,” Mainz head coach Bo Svensson stressed during his press conference on Friday. 

As of this week, Svensson has assembled the squad that he would have hoped to have at his disposal at the start of pre-season now that Marco Richter and Phillipp Mwene have joined the team in the last few days. Richter is someone who can play in a number of different positions in attacking midfield too. “We haven’t had a player like him until now. He suits us in terms of his style of play, his tactical understanding of the game and his personality,” the Dane said. “There’s nothing stopping him from playing an important role.” That’s also the case for Mwene, a familiar face in Mainz, who Svensson describes as a “top-drawer solution”. “He has a lot to offer, suits our style of play well and is keen to play with intensity and speed. He’s comfortable on the ball and can play on either the left or the right. He’s a guy who suits us very well and is a great addition.” Both new arrivals are fit and options for the squad against Eintracht. 

“Our performance needs to be better than it was in Berlin”

The strain on the squad has eased in comparison with last week. Andreas Hanche-Olsen has been able to train individually and was able to return to team training for the first time on Friday. “Maxim Leitsch is a week further down the line is his recovery to full fitness, Sepp van den Berg is fit, so we have more options in central defence,” rejoiced Svensson, who apart from long-term absentees Silvan Widmer and Jonathan Burkardt doesn’t have any other injuries to report. 

The Mainz head coach needs all the possible options that his squad provides him with against Eintracht. “We are playing against a top Bundesliga team. Our success isn’t guaranteed, but the performance needs to be better than it was in Berlin. That’s our aim.” As is always the case, Svensson’s main focus is his own team’s approach to the game.

“A tough task whichever way you look at it”

Eintracht may have been in action in Sofia in Bulgaria with the away leg of their Conference League qualifying clash this week, but a strong team still awaits Mainz this weekend – one with lots of different qualities, both individually and as a collective. “You only have to look at the names, whether it’s Kolo Muani, Götze or Skhiri. They have made some very good additions to their squad this season. They have key qualities such as speed in attack and a good shape, whilst they have a clear plan paired with individual quality under their new head coach Dino Toppmöller,” says Svensson when describing Sunday’s opposition. “It’s going to be a tough task whichever way you look at it.”