"Another Chance to Put Things Right"

A week after their 1-0 victory away to FC Schalke 04, Mainz return to the MEWA ARENA on Saturday (3:30 PM CEST, live on Sky, DAZN and 05ER.fm) to face Werder Bremen, with the fixture also marking this year's 05ER Climate Defender Matchday. While Mainz have been in excellent form on the road, they are still searching for their first home win of the season. However, head coach Urs Fischer refuses to entertain any talk of a home curse. "It's quite simple: we've got another opportunity to do better, and we're approaching it with a positive mindset," the 60-year-old said at Friday's press conference.

Urs Fischer Also Spoke About...

...the pressure ahead of home games: "Of course, winning is always the goal, but for me, the way we play matters too. The basics are absolutely essential to our game. We need to get those right on the pitch, while also being proactive, showing confidence and playing with the intensity required."

...team news: "Dominik Kohr, Silas Katompa Mvumpa, Otto Ruoppi and Robin Zentner will all be unavailable on Saturday. However, some of them have already returned to team training."

...the defensive performance against Schalke: "All three areas of the team worked well together, including the goalkeeper. Everything needs to click into place, and we managed that pretty well. Keeping a clean sheet gives us a huge boost for the games ahead because we can't expect to score three or four goals in every match."

...Danny da Costa's performance: "Danny started because of his experience, and it's always pleasing when a decision like that pays off. He embraced his role brilliantly, accepted difficult decisions and conducted himself impeccably throughout. He's performed well in training and always put the team first."

...the opponents from Bremen: "Werder look like a very solid side, and I have to give them a lot of credit for their ability to come from behind. They function really well as a team. They're disciplined, strong in duels and calm and composed on the ball. They're particularly dangerous from crosses, including deliveries from deeper areas. That's where Niclas Füllkrug really thrives as a target man. It will be a challenge, but we also have a striker who knows where the goal is."

...Kacper Potulski's recent dip in form: "We work closely with every individual player on a daily basis. In the past, Kacper was given a lot of leeway when he made mistakes. Now, in his second season, the criticism is getting louder, and learning how to deal with that is part of his development. He put in a strong performance against Schalke."

...Kaishu Sano: "Against Schalke, he was back to showing the kind of form we saw from him last season. A player first has to process such a turbulent transfer window, and maintaining the same level of performance is difficult in itself. It's about learning from those experiences and drawing the right conclusions. He's working on that, and there's still room for improvement."