“It will be a pivotal game”

The 05ers are once again set to play under the Friday-night floodlights. Exactly a week after the loss to Borussia Dortmund, Mainz will go again in the Bundesliga, this time at home against Hamburger SV (20:30 CET). The northern side have won nine out of a possible 15 points across the past five games and have not lost in that time. The Rothosen will be looking for a third win in a row, having beaten Heidenheim (2-0) and Union Berlin (3-2) in recent matches.

FSV are on a great run of form at home of late, having won their last three games at the MEWA ARENA. A 2-1 win over Heidenheim was followed by a 3-1 victory over VfL Wolfsburg and a 2-0 win against Augsburg. Mainz lost the reverse fixture in Hamburg 4-0 and will be looking to leave the pitch as winners this time around and carry on their home win streak in front of a sold-out MEWA ARENA. Friday’s game will be even more special than normal for head coach Urs Fischer, as he will be celebrating his 60th birthday!

 Urs Fischer on...

...his available squad: “All the guys with long-term injuries will still be missing on Friday. The injury Stefan Bell picked up in Dortmund means that he won’t play either. Silvan Widmer is suspended due to yellow-card accumulation. Furthermore, both Nelson Weiper and Fabio Moreno Fell are ill.”

...Stefan Bell: “It’s painful for us that we won’t have Stefan there against HSV, but it does mean that another player will get a chance. Luckily, his injury isn’t too bad. He just needs to rest for now and he’ll be back in the foreseeable future.”

...the analysis of the BVB game: “Obviously, part of our analysis was on how we defended opposing set pieces. We weren’t consistent or resilient enough against Dortmund, but we have a chance now against HSV to immediately rectify that.”

...the mood in the dressing room: “Of course, the mood after the game wasn’t great. The first half was even in terms of goalscoring opportunities, although only Dortmund managed to score and we invited some pressure from them to a certain extent. The lads were very self-critical about this and very dissatisfied. We have to learn from things like that.”

...the upcoming opponents: “HSV are unbeaten in their last five games and in great form at the moment. They are a solid side. They are particularly dangerous in transition, are very direct and have lots of quick players. They are also very adaptable and will often switch their positions around. We need to be aware of that, but at the same time, not forget that we have to play our own game.”

...his side’s approach: “It’s will be a pivotal game and we won’t win it inside the first ten or 15 minutes. We need to be patient for the whole game and play our game with conviction. We’re at home, we’re on a good run of form and we have the fans right behind us, supporting us – all of that gives us confidence.”

...his birthday: “It’s not that important to me – I spent my 50th in a hotel somewhere when I was at Basel. Some of my family will be here and we’ll definitely find a way to celebrate. My priority is the game.”