Henriksen: “We have to be smarter in those final moments in front of goal”

We’re three matchdays into the new Bundesliga season, and no-one can deny that there is room for improvement at 1. FSV Mainz 05. Having taken just one point from three games, FSV currently sit 15th in the table, having most recently fallen 1-0 to RB Leipzig at home in the MEWA ARENA. This weekend (Saturday, 20th September, 15:30 CEST), the side will travel to Augsburg to face head coach Sandro Wagner’s side. FCA have managed to record a win so far this season, although now sit 11th in the league after recently being defeated 2-1 away at St. Pauli.

Mainz’s record against Saturday’s opponents makes for pleasant reading – of the last six Bundesliga encounters between the sides, the 05ers have come out on top in five, with only the most recent such fixture, the 0-0 draw in February of this year, having ended undecided.

Henriksen on...

…team news ahead of Saturday: “Benedict Hollerbach is still unavailable – we’re hoping that he can start training again next week and get back to full fitness as soon as possible. Jae-sung Lee is also out for Saturday’s game, and with him it also depends on how far his recovery progresses over the next few days. Paul Nebel will be back in the squad after his suspension, and with Silvan Widmer, we’ll have to assess nearer the time. Everyone else is fit and ready for the match in Augsburg.”

…Paul Nebel: “Paul is incredibly important for the team. He is in very, very good form and proved that in the summer when playing for Germany U21s. We’re really pleased that he’s back with us, because he’s absolutely a difference-maker on the pitch and the belief within the team is so much stronger when he’s there. “

...Mainz’s attack: “Of course, we’ve had a chance to analyse the first three matches. Unfortunately, up to now we’ve not been efficient enough, as even with more attempts on goal and more crosses than usual, we’ve only scored one goal so far. We have to be smarter in those final moments and challenge the opposition keeper more than we have been doing, if we want to pick up points in the future and start winning games.”

…Nelson Weiper: “Of course, we communicate with each other very often. He is a young player and is learning so much every day – he still needs a bit of time, though, which is completely fine. At his age, it’s normal to have periods in and out of form and it’s so important that we don’t put any unnecessary pressure on him, because he always gives us 100%. We have complete faith in him, which is the most important thing.”

…Andreas Hanche-Olsen: “He’s training really well at the moment, he’s completely fit and also produced a great performance against Leipzig – which is often the case when he comes off the bench. He’s doing really well after his surgery and we hope that it can continue in that way, because he’s so important for us.”

...a potential suspension after another yellow card: “I have to learn to restrain myself better and I’m going to do my best to not see another yellow card in Augsburg. I can’t promise anything, though.”