Full of anticipation ahead of the start of the Bundesliga season

1. FSV Mainz returned from Trondheim on Friday afternoon, with head coach Bo Henriksen heading straight to the MEWA ARENA for his pre-match press conference ahead of the opening weekend of Bundesliga action. The 05ers will host newly-promoted 1. FC Köln at a sold-out MEWA ARENA on Sunday afternoon (15:30 CEST). “We’re ready and we believe in ourselves,” said the coach. 

The team have already put the frustration at their last-minute defeat in Trondheim behind them, with the focus now on getting the Bundesliga season off to a strong start against Köln. The Billy Goats will be accompanied by over 4,000 fans. 

Henriksen on..

…how the team are doing after their first two of five games in the next two weeks: “It’s okay. We won the first game in Dresden, which was good. The game in Trondheim yesterday wasn’t our best. It wasn’t easy for us. But now we’re ready for the next challenge: the start of the Bundesliga season.” 

…the squad: “More or less the entire squad will be available to play, Daniel Gleiber has picked up an injury and will therefore miss out on Sunday. Everyone else is ready.”  

…dealing with the defeat in Trondheim: “We didn’t play well. However, it’s also not easy to play away in a European competition. There were phases of the game which were okay, but we struggled in the final third and in transition. That was only the first half, however, and we now have another chance on Thursday in the second leg. We’re focused on Köln at the moment, which is the most important thing. That’s also what I’ve told the players. Köln are a completely different opponent – it’s the Bundesliga, the first game, a sold-out MEWA ARENA. It’s going to be great fun.” 

"IT WILL BE A DIFFERENT GAME"

…room for improvement in his team: “It’s a question of mentality. We won’t be playing in Trondheim in 8°C weather on Sunday. We’re up against an opponent who want to play football and, hopefully, we’ll play with more intensity in the Bundesliga. It will be a different game. We’re excited that the season is getting underway. We’re ready and believe in ourselves – hopefully, we’ll be able to see that on the pitch on Sunday.” 

...1. FC Köln: "Köln are a very good team. They play good football and have plenty of confidence. In addition to their qualities on the ball, they also have a good shape. That’s why it will be important for us to be smart in those situations. They also press man to man. We need to play our game better than we did in Trondheim. However, we believe in our philosophy and in our DNA – our intensity will play into our hands. It won’t be easy for any team to play here.” 

…potential for rotation in the starting line-up: “We have to rotate. We knew that would be the case, given our start to the season. We will have to see how many changes we make and how many minutes everyone gets. I’ll be discussing that with our fitness coaches. We’ll know more tomorrow and will then talk about Sunday.”