Caci Determined to Turn Things Around: "It Starts with the Warm-Up"

Anthony Caci watched Mainz's most recent home victory from the stands back in March, when he was nearing a return to the squad after more than six months on the sidelines. He eventually made his comeback in April. While the memories of that victory may have faded somewhat, the Frenchman knows just how much energy a home win can bring, especially after a drought that has now lasted more than seven months. Looking back on the dramatic late victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, secured by Paul Nebel's brace, Caci described it as "very emotional". "The stadium almost exploded. We want to turn things around against Bremen, and we're ready to do it," said the full-back, who has once again become an indispensable presence on the right flank. However, he admits he is still not quite back to 100 percent fitness and has a few areas to work on. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old will once again give everything he has on Saturday afternoon (3:30 PM CEST, MEWA ARENA, live on Sky, DAZN and 05ER.fm), determined to help Mainz build on their solid start to the season.

It has now been around 13 months since "Titi", as he is affectionately known, suffered a serious injury during the away match against Augsburg, which kept him sidelined for much longer than initially expected. After a lengthy recovery, the Frenchman fought his way back into the team and is now in his fifth season with Mainz (121 appearances, seven goals and 17 assists). However, he admits he is still feeling the effects of the injury. "In football, people often say it takes just as long to get back to your previous level as the time you spent out injured. I can certainly feel that myself. I'm not back to 100 percent yet. If I had to put a number on it, I'd say I'm at about 85 percent. There are a lot of factors involved, including physical fitness, confidence in your own body and stamina. At the moment, I'm really tired after games and need a lot of time to recover. There are also a few things I still need to work on, particularly defensively. But I can say that I'm making good progress."

"I'm Really Tired After Games at the Moment and Need a Lot of Time to Recover"

Things are also moving in the right direction for Caci and his team, with Mainz having collected ten points from their opening six matches, six more than at the same stage last season. On a personal level, the Frenchman has already registered four goal contributions and is gradually returning to his best form. His brace against Leverkusen came as a surprise to Caci himself, but perhaps even more so to his father watching from the stands. Although the defeat was a bitter disappointment, it was still a day he is unlikely to forget anytime soon. "My family were in the stands and got to experience it. It was obviously a great feeling, even though I couldn't really enjoy it straight after the game because we'd lost. But I know my dad was genuinely shocked and asked my mum, 'Was that really Anthony?'" Caci revealed with a grin. The Frenchman hopes to surprise his father a few more times in the future, adding: "I hope that wasn't the first and last time in my career that I've scored twice in a game."

Making Home Advantage Count and Keeping Füllkrug Quiet

Against Werder Bremen, Caci won't be too concerned about whether he gets on the scoresheet, provides the winning assist as he did at Schalke, or simply plays his part in securing all three points at a nearly sold-out MEWA ARENA. After three away wins, Mainz are determined to claim their first home victory of the season, and anything less is hardly an option. Caci already has a clear idea of what it will take to make that happen. "We need to create the right atmosphere and be fully focused – and that starts with the warm-up. We want to get the fans behind us and finally reward both them and ourselves with a home win. They're always there for us. We want to experience that feeling of celebrating a victory at home with them again," explained the Frenchman. Caci is determined to turn things around on home soil and hopes a victory will also give Mainz a confidence boost ahead of a busy week. After all, the 05ER travel to Bochum on Tuesday looking to secure a place in the DFB-Pokal round of 16, before heading to Elversberg on Friday evening in search of more Bundesliga points.

Caci believes Mainz have laid the groundwork for that long-awaited home victory during the week's preparations. The team have studied footage of Werder Bremen, who have managed to pick up points after falling 2-0 behind in each of their last three matches and certainly cannot be underestimated. Mainz will be particularly wary of Niclas Füllkrug, who has scored one more goal than the 05ER's leading scorer Phillip Tietz (five goals). Caci believes it will be crucial to "keep Füllkrug out of the game" on Saturday, something that will require a collective effort. Mainz showed exactly how that can be done against Schalke, where every part of the team worked together and the opposition struggled to find their rhythm. "Our aim is to stick to a clear game plan throughout the entire match and believe in what we're trying to do. Defensively, above all, we need to stay fully concentrated, clear the ball properly and close down opponents early, even before they get into dangerous crossing positions." Preventing crosses from reaching Werder's prolific striker will therefore be one of Mainz's key priorities. Above all, the 05ER want to make it clear from the very first whistle who is in charge at the MEWA ARENA. "We need to bring the same level of performance that we've shown away from home, from the first minute to the last, into our own stadium," Caci insisted. No other Bundesliga side can match Mainz's away record of nine points and a 10-3 goal difference from three matches. Now, the fans are eager to enjoy that same success on home soil.