On Saturday, the Zerofivers will face TSG Hoffenheim in their final friendly before the restart of the Bundesliga. The match at the Bruchwegstadion will kick off at 14:00 CET and will consist of 2 x 75 minute halves. Newcomer Andreas Henche-Olsen could make his Mainz debut.
Finishing touches before the league season resumes
The 150 minute match against Hoffenheim will be ample time for Bo Svensson and his coaching staff to assess the players and to test out different formations ahead of the Bundesliga restart. The gaffer also mentioned during the winter break that it was “no secret” that he wanted his side to be “a little bit more flexible.” Svensson utilised a back five for the vast majority of the first half of the season but experimented with a back four in the friendlies in Mallorca.
It was a similar picture in the second half of the friendly against FC Luzern but it remains to be seen whether the boss will opt for a new system in the friendly against Hoffenheim or indeed in the Bundesliga game against Stuttgart a week later.
A possible debutant
It also remains to be seen whether newcomer Andreas Henche-Olsen will make his debut on Saturday. The Norwegian’s signing was announced on Friday morning and the 25-year-old has only taken part in one training session thus far. The friendly, however, could prove a good opportunity for the central-defender to pick up some valuable playing time for his new club.
The friendly is also of importance to the rest of the players. Despite the 5-1 win over FC Luzern a few days ago, Svensson believes his side “still have a lot of work ahead of them.” Overall, though, Mainz’s preparations thus far have been “optimal,” according to Christian Heidel. Attention now turns to Saturday as FSV will be looking to put in a good showing against Hoffenheim before they resume their Bundesliga campaign against Stuttgart on Saturday, 21st January, 15:30 CET.