“Stay calm and be brave”

The first half of the tie convincingly belonged to Mainz, and the second leg of the quarter final against RC Strasbourg will take place on Thursday (21:00 CEST). The 05ers, who are heading to the Stade de la Mainau with a two-goal advantage and 2,500 travelling fans, are expecting “fireworks”, according to their head coach. “In my view, it’ll be a hotly contested affair,” said Urs Fischer in Wednesday afternoon’s press conference.

The 05ers don’t just want to defend, but rather they also want to play with courage in possession and leverage their experience, as defender Dominik Kohr added. “Our main goal is to reach the final. We’ve got to take things step by step and reach the next round tomorrow.”

urs Fischer spoke in the press conference about...

…his expectations for the game: “I’m expecting fireworks from Strasbourg from the word go. We’ve got to be ready for it. I’ve just been to the stadium. If the crowd are fired up, there’s sure to be an excellent atmosphere.”

…the squad: “There are no short-term injuries. There’s a small question mark over Philipp Mwene – we’ll make a decision closer to the time tomorrow. Anthony Caci is in the squad and has made the journey. We’ve had to swap him back in for Fabio Moreno Fell – that was the only opportunity to fit him in.”

…approaching a European game: “The Bundesliga is the day job – the players know the stadiums and what to expect. We played against Strasbourg last week and have an idea of what we’re going to come up against on the pitch. But it’s a new stadium, a new atmosphere that we’re not really used to. We need to let the players know what to expect, but we won’t overwhelm them.”

…the European journey so far and its significance for German football: “I hope that Bayern qualify today and that we can do the same tomorrow. Then it would be great for all parties. But, first and foremost, it’s our adventure, and we want to continue it. We're going to do everything we can to ensure that our journey in the competition doesn't come to an end tomorrow night. In my view, it’ll be a hotly contested affair. We’ve got to stay cool and be brave. If we’re not prepared to give players options in possession, it’ll be tough, because Strasbourg are a quality outfit. You could see that in the first leg if you watched how they play in possession. So, we’ve got to play with courage, have faith in one another when we’ve got the ball, create chances, and try to score instead of just defending. We’ve got to find a good balance.”

…enjoying playing in international games in view of the league situation: “It’s not the time to rest on our laurels. But playing in a quarter final is, of course, a good thing. The focus is on the game – you don’t really pay attention to the wider context. The situation in the league has improved a bit, but nothing is certain yet. It’ll be a special game tomorrow – at the end of the day, it all comes down to the performance. We’ve got to be on our A game tomorrow.”

Dominik Kohr talked about...

…his expectations for the game: “It would be ideal if we scored a goal in the first ten minutes. Having an experienced side is a big advantage. We’ve got players who are much older than their counterparts on the opposition’s team. We’ve got to bring this experience to the table. Our main goal is to reach the final. We’ve got to take things step by step and reach the next round tomorrow.”

…the anticipation for European nights: “I’m really looking forward to it – it’s really special. You don’t really experience things like this at Mainz 05 – it’s my first time playing in a quarter final. I have played here in Strasbourg with Danny as part of another team. From that experience, I know what to expect. I’ll fire the boys up, so we approach the game with the right mindset and can celebrate qualifying for the next round after the final whistle.”

…Anthony Caci: “I haven’t spoken to him personally, but he told the team that there’s a lot of talk here in Strasbourg of them wanting to beat us. That really spurs us all on. He shared the information he had with us. It definitely helps us.”

… enjoying playing in international games in view of the league situation: “We know that we’re not safe yet in the Bundesliga – that’s what we’re focussing on. That’s the homework that we’ve got to do and that we want to take to the next level at the weekend. Still, games like the one tomorrow don’t happen very often – we’re going to try and enjoy it. For me, it’s like being in a film. You’ve got to try and muster your best performance and block everything else out to help the team out as much as possible.”

…the current state of the team: “We’re playing more intelligently and have established a foundation that helps us to effectively press in midfield. We look for physical contact to avoid dangerous situations. We control games well. That’s the foundation that Urs has built, and it’s helped us a lot. The opposition don’t have many chances in front of goal, because we neutralise a lot of threats in midfield.”