Henriksen: “It’s the perfect start”

Things are starting to get more serious for the 05ers as they wrap up their long and intensive pre-season. The first round of the DFB-Pokal sees Mainz travel to Saxony to face second-division side Dynamo Dresden (Monday, 18th August, 18:00 CEST). After clinching promotion from the third division last season, Dynamo Dresden are new faces in the second tier, in which they have already played the first two matchweeks: they suffered a 3-2 loss in Fürth before returning home to face 1.FC Magdeburg six days later, where they lost 2-1. Dresden sit 15th in the 2. Bundesliga after losing their opening two games.

The 05ers haven’t played a competitive game yet this season, however they did have a remarkable pre-season campaign in which they went undefeated. FSV beat Premier League side Crystal Palace (amongst others) 4-3 after two 60-minute halves, before concluding their pre-season with a 0-0 draw against RC Strasbourg.

In the press conference, Bo henriksen spoke about...

...his anticipation ahead of the new season: “There’s a lot of anticipation. It was good to have that preparation and play those friendlies, but it’s important now to get the season underway properly, which is something we’re really looking forward to. We want to have these experiences in the stadium with the fans and the first five games of the season promise to be fun and exciting for all of us.”

...the upcoming knockout games: “It’s the perfect start – these are the sort of decisive games that we train for every day. We’re starting the season in three competitions and by the end of the next two weeks we could only be competing in one, which is a big difference. We’re really looking forward to these contests though, as we have trained so hard to get into the Conference League play-offs. Naturally reaching the group stage of the Conference League is our main goal, but at the same time we also want to progress to the next round of the DFB-Pokal and perform well in the Bundesliga.”  

...his team’s pre-season: “We had a very good pre-season and training camp. Other than Maxim Dal everyone is fit – something that is hardly believable but very important for us. The most important thing for us however is the next game and to take things week by week. We have a good squad and are pleased with what we’ve seen – nevertheless there is still that desire to constantly improve.” 

...the upcoming opponents: “After two matchweeks Dresden are the team in the 2. Bundesliga with the highest possession and we know they’ll want to have a lot of the ball against us. Admittedly they haven’t got any points yet, but take nothing away from their performances in both games. Last year we played Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the cup and it was very difficult to get the win there. Dresden have already played competitively in the league – we have not, but despite this disparity we just want to win.”

...the more than 1,600 Mainz fans in Dresden: “I have heard that we’ve got a few fans accompanying us to Dresden – something that is of course important for us, as the fans are just unbelievable and always support us. We know Dresden will have their own large fan base there that can influence the game, but for us what’s important is that we believe in ourselves and have our fans right behind us.”

...potential new signings: “Right now I’m incredibly happy with our squad, as we have a really brilliant team. If an exceptional opportunity arises to sign a player who fits us well, then we will discuss whether or not we should take it.”