23-player squad to travel to Cyprus

Early on Wednesday afternoon, the Mainz 05 squad jetted off from Frankfurt for their near four-hour flight to Larnaca. On board, alongside the coaching staff and club employees, as well as partners and sponsors, were the 23 players making up the cohort. They will be looking forward to playing on the international stage on Thursday evening when FSV face Omonia Nicosia in what will feel like midsummer temperatures for a native German (kick-off 18:45 CEST). The most surprising inclusion in the squad is probably Jeremiah Debrah, who already demonstrated what skills he possesses in first-team training sessions and friendly matches during the summer’s pre-season. He usually plays for the Mainz U19s. Incidentally, the only remaining player who featured during the club’s previous European campaign, the 2016/17 Europa League season, is veteran defender Stefan Bell.

squad overview

The Mainz players began the day of departure in glorious sunshine, as the morning saw Bo Henriksen lead his team for their final training session at Bruchweg before setting off. As for the previous fixture in Trondheim, the 05ers turned down the opportunity to train at the ground beforehand. Only Henriksen and club captain Silvan Widmer will be at the GSP Stadium following arrival this evening as both answer questions from journalists. The press conference is scheduled to start at 19:45 CEST.

The team will primarily spend their time in the lead up on the day of the game at their hotel, where they will undertake a light activation session. Then in the evening, FSV will look to earn their first points in Europe this season in front of their 1,500 travelling fans. The 05ers will subsequently head back to Germany on Friday with a Sunday afternoon Bundesliga clash away to Hamburger SV in store.