“Not something you experience every day”

The next historic night at the MEWA ARENA is just around the corner for 1. FSV Mainz 05. The 05ers will make one of the final eight teams in a European competition for the first time. Racing Club de Strasbourg travel to Mainz for the first leg of the sides’ UEFA Conference League quarter-final clash on Thursday evening (21:00 CEST). “A Conference League quarter final is not something you experience every day. I am certain that our fans will be ready and now our job is to also be ready for this challenge,” explained head coach Urs Fischer during Wednesday’s press conference.

Nevertheless, a tough test awaits the Swiss coach’s in-form outfit. The team currently sitting eighth in Ligue 1 finished the UECL league phase in top spot before seeing off Croatian club HNK Rijeka in the tournament round of 16. Fischer judges the upcoming opponent to possess “an enormous deal of individual quality.” FSV will want to demonstrate their own capabilities, which have served them so well over the course of the past few weeks: “We will do everything that we can in order to take the next step in this competition,” emphasised defender Stefan Posch.

urs Fischer spoke in the press conference about...

...team news and five returnees to training: “They (Robin Zentner, Nadiem Amiri, Anthony Caci, Andreas Hanche Olsen, Stefan Bell) have been making good progress on their way back, taking part in nearly all of yesterday’s training session.”

...support from the stands: “It is not just the case for the game tomorrow, but our 12th man has supported us from the first whistle in every match since I arrived. They have also played a large role in us not doing too badly right now, winning games, picking up points, and qualifying for the quarter final. However, tomorrow’s is obviously an historic fixture for the club.”

...the opponent from Strasbourg: “It is a young side, but I must say that they possess an enormous deal of individual quality. In Barco, they have an experienced player who dictates and controls play from the middle of the park. He does that really well. They have a good balance when it comes to pace and players who excel in one-on-one situations. Their style of play is straightforward and very direct, and they’re good in the transition between attack and defence. They also know how to mix things up, though, enticing the opposition forward with their play on the ball. If they find space then we’ll have it tough – it’ll be a difficult game.”

...the possible disadvantage of having the first leg at home: “We drew 0-0 in the previous round away in Olomouc, meaning we had to win the second leg. We now have two games ahead of us once more, so our job is to leave ourselves in a good starting position for the away tie, preferably with a win. However, there are other ways for us to be a in a place where we can compete in the second leg. It feels like playing away first then at home is easier but you’d have to pull up a statistic to see if that’s really the case.”

...competition within the squad: “It goes without saying that the lads push each other hard over the course of the week. That’s part of the job and the way it has to be. We’ll see tomorrow who ends up taking the place of Sheraldo Becker. Armindo Sieb and Nelson Weiper are the two candidates. Nelly started in the return leg against Olomouc, before Armindo came on and scored the decisive second goal. I’m spoilt for choice and there’s a good chance both will get some playing time during proceedings.”

...preparations for the upcoming fixture: “We have gathered a lot of information on our opponent from the two friendly matches in the summer, among other sources. Their quality was evident. I have heard that they were two close matches full of goalscoring chances. Anthony Caci left them a while ago now, and a club can change in that time, so I’m cautious with the information from him. However, there is an exchange and it’s nice to get the odd bit of insider information now and then.”

...managing workloads: “The national team coaches played ball and ensured that the lads would get minutes but wouldn’t be demanded too much. The boys returned pretty fresh. It was important to use the same structure to get back into our rhythm after 14 days. We saw that in periods against Hoffenheim, although some of the boys’ legs did tire. We played well, regardless, and we should not be looking to manage workloads during this first midweek game, but I cannot rule anything out.”

Stefan Posch spoke about...

...the mood ahead of the quarter final: “You do not get to play a last-eight tie every year. If that doesn’t get you excited, then what will? The team is in good stead, and the lads are feeling positive and are looking forward to it. We already experienced such an atmosphere in the round of 16 and expect just that again tomorrow. We have worked hard for this and it’s been a long road. I’ve had the privilege of climbing aboard the wagon. The team has earned it that hopefully the whole of Germany will be crossing their fingers for us. That’s how we’ll approach tomorrow’s game.”

...emotions in and around FSV: “Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be quite like this so I’ve been pleasantly surprised. The results of the last few weeks obviously play a role, but the atmosphere was a great one even when I joined, both in the stadium and outside the ground. I believe that spurs us on and we’ve repaid that faith until now.”

...physical demands: “It’s a part of the game – that’s how we see it. If you win games then that serves to motivate the team, but if you lose then things get trickier. I feel that the problem is often not a physical one but a matter of clearing the mind.”