Cap off a successful campaign

Mainz head north on Saturday for their final away game this term when they take on VfL Bochum, who have similarly faced difficulties in recent weeks (kick-off 15:30 CEST). Neither FSV nor VfL have been able to win any of their previous seven Bundesliga fixtures. While Bochum have picked up just two points during this timeframe, Mainz have collected a total of four. Much is on the line for both sides in this upcoming clash. Dieter Hecking’s side are fighting to avoid the drop as they currently prop up the league table, while a win for the 05ers would keep their hopes of European qualification alive and kicking.

The reverse fixture earlier in the campaign went the way of Mainz thanks to a brace from Jonny Burkardt (23‘,69‘). That 2-0 victory on their own patch was FSV’s 10th in the top flight over VfL, who have only one once across 13 previous Bundesliga meetings between the sides. The 05ers will be hoping to add to this positive track record on Saturday.

head coach Bo Henriksen spoke in his press conference about...

...team news for Saturday: “Maxim Dal’s injury is obviously awful and came about really unfortunately in training. We wish him all the best for his recovery. Dominik Kohr and Moritz Jenz will also definitely miss the game, while we will have to see tomorrow whether Danny da Costa, Robin Zentner and Maxim Leitsch could feature.”

...altering the game plan as a result of absentees: “I don’t think much will be different. We played well against Frankfurt in spite of the two injuries and Silvan Widmer covered that position really effectively, for instance. Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Stefan Bell and Maxim Leitsch are all good players as well and I hope that they are all available for selection on Saturday.“

...Lasse Rieß: “He is a great player in my opinion and gives his best each day, no matter what. He is outstanding on the ball but is characterised by his impressive reflexes. He performed well against Frankfurt and is ever improving, which is clear to see in training. We have a great goalkeeping coach in Stephan Kuhnert, under whose guidance Lasse has been steadily progressing. Therefore, I believe he has a great future ahead of him.”

...dealing with recent results: “We have analysed each game and realised that we could have won many of them. At home, we have now gone 12 games unbeaten to set a new club record and Jonny Burkardt has also now scored the most of anyone for this club in a single season with 16 goals. Reality is that we have not taken all three points from any of our last seven matches but at the same time, we played brilliantly in each of our last three. The side’s performance this season makes for a great story and I am so proud to be head coach of this team.”

...the upcoming fixture: “I doubt it’ll end goalless. Both teams will be looking to and have to win, so it should be an entertaining game for everyone in attendance. Hopefully we can deliver a good showing in Bochum but know that a tough opponent with a good coach awaits us. If we bring our A-game, then we can win this one.”

...facing the last-placed team: “We are not giving it too much thought, since it does not affect us. We are aware that Bochum find themselves in a tricky situation right now, but our own performance is the main thing. However, we also know that Bochum may have to take some risks dependent on the score line and we will need to adjust accordingly.”