“A big chance for us“

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Marco Friedl is likely so start again against Mainz (Photo: nordphoto).
preliminary report
Thursday, 17.12.2020 / 17:47

Florian Kohfeldt doesn’t want to place too much important on his quote after the home defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night: “I said that we are under pressure, but you are always under pressure in the Bundesliga. That’s just part and parcel of it.” Despite that, the upcoming away game at 1. FSV Mainz 05 is still a key game for SVW. “This match could influence the way our season goes,” stressed Kohfeldt. The final league game of 2020 will take place on Saturday at 15:30 CET, and Kohfeldt expects it to be a hard-fought match.

The squad: Nothing has changed regarding the personnel available for Werder from the Dortmund game. “Everyone that was involved on Tuesday is fit,” reported Kohfeldt. Niclas Füllkrug, Milot Rashica and Davie Selke will not make their return against Mainz, with the latter travelling to Munich to see a specialist on his thigh injury. The 25-year-old is free of pain now, but an MRI scan picked something up which means further examination was necessary. “We are missing three experienced Bundesliga strikers,” said Kohfeldt, adding “this does give chances to other players though.”

 

Keep our minds clear

Florian Kohfeldt thinks SVW have a great chance against Mainz (Photo: nordphoto).

The head coach on the game: “We will need to find the balance between sitting back and getting into their box. We need players that can find space too,” said Kohfeldt, who believes his side can get the job done despite the missing strikers. Werder’s build-up play recently hasn’t been at its best, with Kohfeldt commenting “our play in the final third in recent weeks hasn’t come off.” Mainz, however, are an opponent at the bottom of the table, which will give Bremen the hope that they can get back to winning ways and move back into mid-table. “This game against Mainz is a big chance for us,” stated SVW’s head coach. Both teams lost last time out and are in need of a win. “Mentally, we need to keep our minds clear – whoever hesitates, whoever flinches, will be the one to lose.”The last two games against Mainz haven’t played a part in the team’s tactical preparations for the game, although Kohfeldt does still have bad memories of those matches. “They were two disappointing days for us,” summed up Kohfeldt. “In comparison to last season, we have a lot to win this time.”

The last meetings: The matches against 1. FSV Mainz 05 last season were particularly painful for Werder fans. The Zerofivers won 5-0 in the wohninvest WESERSTADION almost exactly a year ago, before beating SVW 3-1 on matchday 33, almost condemning Werder to relegation. However, Florian Kohfeldt’s side did what many thought to be impossible and survived, meaning they get another shot at Mainz this weekend, as they look to show they’ve learnt from last season’s mistakes.

Take chances, increase the gap

Yuya Osako scored Werder’s only goal of the game in their last Bundesliga meeting with Mainz (Photo: nordphoto).

Leaving the past behind: Despite having suffered two defeats in the last two games against Mainz, the overall head-to-head record is clearly in Werder’s favour. Across 28 Bundesliga meetings, the Green-Whites have won 13, drawn six and lost nine. The task this weekend will be to forget about last season’s defeats and to pick up points against Jan-Moritz Lichte’s side.

Extend the gap: Mainz 05 are currently in the relegation zone and are without a win in their last four games. Werder are on an even longer wait for a win, having last picked up three points against Bielefeld on 3rd October. The Green-Whites followed that win with six consecutive draws. Now, they will be looking to bounce back from three straight defeats with a result in Mainz in order to further distance themselves from the bottom.

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