Fischer: "We need a positive attitude"

1. FSV Mainz are approaching their final three fixtures of the calendar year, starting with a Sunday evening trip (17:30 CET) to record champions FC Bayern München with the hopes of tripping up the table-toppers on their title charge. A lot needs to go right for Mainz on the day, as Urs Fischer understands well. The head coach nevertheless emphasised that, just three days after his competitive debut in the Conference League, he intends to approach the challenge in Bavaria with ‘a good feeling.’ ‘Otherwise, we may as well not get on the plane on Saturday,’ emphasized Fischer, who, together with his team, is looking forward to the support of around 3,000 Mainz fans on the road.

In the press conference, fischer discussed...

...the latest on the squad: “Paul Nebel and Dominik Kohr are both still suspended for the game. Phillipp Mwene and Robin Zentner will also miss the trip.”

...Nadiem Amiri: “He trained this morning. We’re hoping that he can be back involved with the whole squad tomorrow. After that, we need to come to a decision on whether it makes any sense for him to travel this weekend. We are obviously hoping that we can have his quality at our disposal.”

...the draw in Poznan: “We’re all happy to celebrate the point yesterday. It also means that we will definitely have more European games after the winter break. There were phases of the game in which we were definitely too passive and didn’t press high enough. If we want to have a chance on Sunday, constant pressure across the 90 minutes is an absolute must.”

...the odds of success in Munich: “There’s always the chance to get something out of any game – football is like that, you always start a game level. Bayern are well-drilled, the team move the ball around with incredible quality and flexibility, and they constantly find ways to get in behind the backline. Still, though, if they aren’t having their best game, and we manage to make it difficult and stay relentless on the pitch, added to the fact we have a keeper on fantastic form, anything is possible.”

...how Mainz are approaching the game: “If we were going to head to Munich with anything other than a good feeling and positive energy, it would make more sense to just stay here. That has to be the way we go about this task. Otherwise, it just gets harder than it already is. Of course, it’s the most difficult fixture in the league, but we need to have a positive attitude. Just sitting back won’t work; we need a good balance, otherwise they’ll eventually take their chances. It’s also important for every player to be able to catch their breath at times over the 90 minutes.”