“Need to push through together until the end”

With the international break behind them, 1. FSV Mainz 05 can now shift their focus back to the Bundesliga. On Saturday, the 05ers will travel to face TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, with their opponents still in the race for a Champions League spot. Christian Ilzer’s side have picked up 50 points so far, but have failed to win both their last two home games against St. Pauli (1-0) and Wolfsburg (1-1). Mainz, meanwhile, were able to collect six vital points in the battle for survival prior to the international break. Around 4,500 FSV are expected to travel to Sinsheim to support the team this weekend. 

head coach Urs Fischer on...

...the current state of the table: “Our results recently have been good and the league table is looking better again. However, what matters is what it looks like after matchday 34, not ahead of matchday 28. I think we’ve been able to gain both confidence and self-belief recently. The team are staying compact and are trying to implement the basics. We can’t allow ourselves to ease up at all at the moment.” 

…the international break: “The lads had a couple days off in order to switch off a bit. On Monday, we started training again and were also looking at the fitness levels. The national team coaches managed our boys' playing time well. Cooperation is important in that regard.”

…the approach against Hoffenheim: “It’s about making sure we deliver the basics. You can’t run any less or any slower than they do. At the same time, it’s about playing football. We’re certainly not heading to Hoffenheim intending to only sit back and defend. We want to be brave and play to our limits.”

…team news: “There's nothing new to report as to the squad we have available. The players carrying knocks are making good progress. Nadiem is also feeling good and wishes he were able to return to training already. Sometimes, you set yourself an ambitious target and are then forced to be patient a while longer. That’s also the case for Caci, who’s suffered a minor setback.” 

…the FSV fans: “Without fans, football would only be half as fun. Especially in those tight games where they’re really able to give you an extra boost. I think the players feel it more than us coaches do. The important thing is that the support doesn’t stop when things aren’t going so well. That’s something the team deserves. We’re not finished yet and need to push through together until the end.”