Hoping for the next “good experience”

The 05ers arrived back in Germany on Friday after their 1-0 win in Cyprus on Thursday night. Despite the memories from a successful away trip still being fresh, Bo Henriksen was back in Mainz for a press conference soon after landing in Frankfurt. He discussed Sunday’s Bundesliga fixture against promoted side Hamburger SV (17:30 CEST kick off). “We had a good experience yesterday in Nicosia. We’re now off to Hamburg and are hoping for another positive evening,” said Bo Henriksen.

FSV last played away against Hamburg seven and a half years ago. Florian Müller, Mainz’s former goalkeeper and academy product, saved a penalty on his Bundesliga debut in a goalless draw. HSV went on to be relegated that season and have only just returned to the top flight, currently sitting 13th in the table with five points from their first five games.

BO HENRIKSEN ON…

...the squad for the HSV game: “We came away from the game in Nicosia with no injuries, so it was a positive evening in that regard as well. Anthony Caci will obviously not play on Sunday. We don’t know right now if Dominik Kohr is available. We’re only heading up to Hamburg on the day of the game, so there’s a chance he can play. Maxim Leitsch is still a little bit ill. We’ll decide tomorrow who will travel to Hamburg with us.”

...Robin Zentner’s suspension: “Lasse Rieß is good on the ball and a fantastic goalkeeper in general. We see that in every training session and therefore know how good he is. We have no doubts about his ability. I know that he’ll do a fine job on Sunday. It’s good for his development and also for us as a team to have him in the side. Robin is outstanding, and now Lasse must be too.”

...Kacper Potulski’s professional debut in Nicosia and a potential appearance on Sunday: “We saw in pre-season how excellent he was in every training session. It doesn’t matter if he’s coming up against Nadiem Amiri or a younger player, he always gives 100%. He was good yesterday in Nicosia. He has power, energy and is confident with the ball at his feet. I told him that at half time because he had options on his side. It was his first professional game at the age of 17, which is pretty special because players don’t normally make their debut at such a young age, only maybe if they’re a striker. He’s mentally like a 22 or 23-year-old, he’s always prepared and professional. He has a bright future ahead of him. We’ll have to see if he plays on Sunday or not.”

...Danny da Costa: “We know how good he is. He’s incredibly quick and that’s important for us and our high press. That’s why he’s constantly in the team and keeps on getting better. I’ll speak with all the players tomorrow to see how they all feel. We’ll then make a decision on who plays on Sunday. Everyone is fit and feeling good. Danny is important for us because of our high line.”

...Hamburger SV: “I’ve seen their last few games. They play good football and like to build up play from the back. They have two or three quick guys up front and can knock it about nicely. We will give our best but know it’s going to be a tricky game. We believe we will play well and can get all three points there

...the return of Benedict Hollerbach: “It’s probably too soon for him to make the starting XI. It’s important for us that he’s back. We missed him and didn’t score many goals in the games he missed. Benedict is one of our key players and we’ll hopefully see him take further steps in the right direction in the coming weeks. He’s really important for us.”

...Mainz’s attacking play: “Our problem again yesterday was not making enough runs in behind their defence, which is an important part of our game. We’re too easy to defend against otherwise. It’s important to have a player that makes these runs in behind – Hollerbach is one of the best we have in this regard.”