Mainz 05 Eyes Europa on Final Match Day

MAINZ, Germany – Trainer Bo Henriksen sees a chance for FSV Mainz 05 to secure a spot in Europe on the final day of the season as a privilege. ‘We have to have fun. This is a big day for us,’ the 50-year-old coach said.

Henriksen emphasized the significance of the match, stating, ‘We have trained all year and given everything. It is a dream for us to play this game. It feels really good.’ A win on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against Bayer Leverkusen would almost guarantee a sixth-place finish and entry into the Conference League. This would mark Mainz’s first qualification for Europe in eight years.

While Leipzig, currently tied on points but trailing by six goals, plays Stuttgart in a parallel match, Henriksen is focused solely on his team’s performance. ‘I will only think about our game. The other is not important,’ he noted. ‘We want to go to Europe,’ he added, stressing the need to control their own game.

Henriksen stated, ‘We do not want to defend, we want to win. That is our plan and goal.’ However, starting goalkeeper Robin Zentner may miss the match due to thigh problems. ‘We hope he can play, but we don’t know yet,’ the coach commented. ‘We hope he can train today, and the decision will come tomorrow.’

Should Zentner be unavailable, Lasse Rieß is prepared to step in as the backup, as he has in the last two matches. Regardless of the outcome, Henriksen described the season as ‘incredible’ and urged his team to carry the enthusiasm into next year. ‘We need to take the excitement and become even better next year,’ he concluded.