“We need to have a very good day”

Mainz are back on the road this weekend, as they make the trip to face Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday (15:30 CET). Their opponents currently sit sixth in the Bundesliga table on 39 points. Their last league outing saw them lose 1-0 to Union Berlin, while the 05ers drew 1-1 with Hamburger SV. Mainz have won 22 points so far this season, placing them in 13th. 

The reverse fixture in autumn was a furious affair with seven goals scored. Although FSV scored three times, they ultimately came away empty-handed, losing the thriller 4-3. Saturday offers a chance for revenge.

Urs Fischer on...

…his available squad: “Silvan Widmer returns to the squad after serving a suspension for yellow cards, while our long-term injured players are still rehabilitating. Unfortunately, Nikolas Veratschnig was ill during the week, as was Sota Kawasaki. The game in Leverkusen comes too early for them. Nelson Weiper was also ill, and whether he’ll be available or not will be decided at short notice.”

…the mood after the HSV game: “You could still see the disappointment the day after the game. Once we started preparing for this next game, the players’ focus shifted straight away.”

…his team’s style of play: “I do think we define ourselves through our physicality, in that we see getting into tackles as one of our basic principles and something we have to do every game. Of course, sometimes you give away fouls that you only just get away with not being punished for, but that’s part of the game – it is, after all, a contact sport.”

…the upcoming game in Leverkusen: “We need to have a very good day if we want to come out of there with something and we have to do our homework. Leverkusen are a possession-focused team with high passing quality and a lot of pace. They often look for one-on-one duels on the wings and have several difference-makers in their ranks. That means we have to be compact but also courageous and trust ourselves to move the ball well in order to create chances. We probably won’t get too many, so we have to make the most of the opportunities that come our way.”

…this week’s training sessions: “I think at the moment we have a good mix of both tension and relaxation in training. Football also has to be fun and enjoyable. We’ve earned that through our results in recent weeks and months. The mood right now isn’t euphoric, but it’s not downbeat either. That’s good, because it keeps us alert.”

…the influence of the fans: “Our fans are very important to us. They’re always there, even away from home, and of course the team feels that. We’re sure to have some tricky phases in Leverkusen and their support will be a big help to the guys on the pitch.”

…midweek fixtures: “We were delighted to directly qualify for the round of 16, as we would have had to play a midweek game this week and last week if we hadn’t. You need plenty of training sessions to work on certain things, especially when you have a new coach and you’re in a difficult situation in the league. It’s definitely done us good recently to have the whole week to prepare for games.” 

…possible squad rotation: “It’s hard to predict. There will definitely be some rotation, as we want to give certain players a rest while also giving others the chance to prove themselves. Unfortunately, we have several players injured or carrying knocks at the moment. When you have a full squad to choose from, it can sometimes be difficult, as all the lads are performing really well. Still, I hope we can avoid more absences in the future.”