Off to Cologne with confidence intact and 3,000 fans in tow

Having shaken off the disappointment of last weekend, the next task is in sight: five days after the spectacular draw against Werder Bremen, Bo Svensson appeared in good spirits at Thursday afternoon’s press conference ahead of the meeting with 1. FC Köln (Saturday, 15:30 CEST). Before travelling for the clash with the team currently 12th in the Bundesliga table, he felt a mixture of respect and anticipation – on the one hand, because of the atmosphere he expects, and on the other, because of his team’s ever-growing confidence after eight games in a row without defeat.

Emotional atmosphere in Müngersdorf

A good 3,000 fans will accompany FSV to Cologne this weekend to support their team in the RheinEnergieStadion. “We can expect a very special atmosphere in Cologne. When the fans get behind the team, it makes for one of the best stadium experiences in Germany. It’s been a very closely fought encounter in the past two years. I think it will be a game full of emotion,” said the Zerofivers’ head coach, who led FSV to their only win in Cologne so far two years ago. That 3-2 away victory in April 2021 was followed a year later with a 3-2 defeat after Mainz had led by two goals. The Effzeh fans really gave the hosts a boost in the last half an hour of the match, something the Zerofivers struggled to match after an intense double gameweek.

When the fans get behind the team, it makes for one of the best stadium experiences in Germany

Svensson knows what to prepare his team for this time around: “Köln will look to get forward and play positive football.” It’s something that the boss already saw from the Billy Goats during their tough run of results, before they finally got their reward last time out with a 3-1 win in Augsburg. “Their fans carry them at home. We have to take the game by the scruff of the neck and allow our quality to shine. Any player who isn’t looking forward to this is in the wrong job. We have a lot of respect, but there’s a great sense of anticipation too,” said the Dane, who isn’t worried about any after-effects from the late drama against Werder.

“We’ve analysed the whole Bremen game, not just the two goals we conceded. We weren’t good enough in the first half, but we stepped it up after the break. The way things ended was obviously disappointing, but there was no sign of that being the overwhelming feeling among the players by training on Tuesday.” The team have looked focused, committed and just as hungry as ever on the training pitch this week, and are determined to keep their run going in spite of last week’s disappointment: “On the other hand, we haven’t lost a game in two months. That makes it easier to move on from a result like that. The team’s confidence is still intact,” said Svensson.

FSV and Anton Stach were narrowly beaten 3-2 in Cologne last season

Weiper to play twice once again

There will be a very special journey at the weekend for Nelson Weiper, whose self-belief was given a double boost recently. Not only did he score against Werder last Saturday, but he also managed to net the only goal in the first leg of the U19 Bundesliga semi-final against 1. FC Köln on Easter Sunday. He is set to play two games again in the coming days, with the second leg in the battle for a place in the U19 German championship final on Friday afternoon at the Franz-Kremer-Stadion in Cologne.

Svensson explained the plan for 18-year-old Weiper this weekend: “Nelson will play for the U19s and then be on the bench for us,” said the Danish coach, before noting that the situation in the senior squad will dictate how many minutes he gets for the youth team. Karim Onisiwo may well be back to 100% fitness and a potential starter after getting 30 minutes against Bremen, but Marcus Ingvartsen has missed training in the last few days with a strain. “We are hoping that he will be able to be there for our final training session tomorrow,” said the head coach, who has not given up on his fellow countryman recovering in time for the weekend.

January additions paying off

There is one constant in Mainz frontline that Svensson can rely on this Saturday though, with January signing Ludovic Ajorque already a regular feature in the coach’s plans. It wasn’t hard for him to rattle off the striker’s assets when a journalist posed the question at the press conference: “Ludo is big and uses his physical stature well – it’s very hard to get the ball off him. He’s also technically astute,” said Svensson. The Frenchman also has plenty of experience, with 150 Ligue 1 matches under his belt alongside his three months in the Bundesliga. “It’s not just about his individual quality though,” added Svensson. “He’s in his late 20s. He’s already matured as a player and person, he has a cool temperament, and is a family man. On top of that, he draws the attention of multiple defenders, which offers space for his teammates.”

He’s in his late 20s. He’s already matured as a player and person

The other thing that Svensson loves about Ajorque is his “sheer passion” to be at the club. “Ludo is utterly convinced that he is at the right place. We needed him in the winter, but he needed us too. It’s a similar story with Andreas [Hanche-Olsen]. We got lucky twice in January, but we had a good feeling back then at it’s been proven more than right,” referring to two undisputed factors behind the team’s recent successful run, and they will be needed again on Saturday.

Having shaken off the disappointment of last weekend, the next task is in sight: five days after the spectacular draw against Werder Bremen, Bo Svensson appeared in good spirits at Thursday afternoon’s press conference ahead of the meeting with 1. FC Köln (Saturday, 15:30 CEST). Before travelling for the clash with the team currently 12th in the Bundesliga table, he felt a mixture of respect and anticipation – on the one hand, because of the atmosphere he expects, and on the other, because of his team’s ever-growing confidence after eight games in a row without defeat.

Emotional atmosphere in Müngersdorf

A good 3,000 fans will accompany FSV to Cologne this weekend to support their team in the RheinEnergieStadion. “We can expect a very special atmosphere in Cologne. When the fans get behind the team, it makes for one of the best stadium experiences in Germany. It’s been a very closely fought encounter in the past two years. I think it will be a game full of emotion,” said the Zerofivers’ head coach, who led FSV to their only win in Cologne so far two years ago. That 3-2 away victory in April 2021 was followed a year later with a 3-2 defeat after Mainz had led by two goals. The Effzeh fans really gave the hosts a boost in the last half an hour of the match, something the Zerofivers struggled to match after an intense double gameweek.

When the fans get behind the team, it makes for one of the best stadium experiences in Germany

Svensson knows what to prepare his team for this time around: “Köln will look to get forward and play positive football.” It’s something that the boss already saw from the Billy Goats during their tough run of results, before they finally got their reward last time out with a 3-1 win in Augsburg. “Their fans carry them at home. We have to take the game by the scruff of the neck and allow our quality to shine. Any player who isn’t looking forward to this is in the wrong job. We have a lot of respect, but there’s a great sense of anticipation too,” said the Dane, who isn’t worried about any after-effects from the late drama against Werder.

“We’ve analysed the whole Bremen game, not just the two goals we conceded. We weren’t good enough in the first half, but we stepped it up after the break. The way things ended was obviously disappointing, but there was no sign of that being the overwhelming feeling among the players by training on Tuesday.” The team have looked focused, committed and just as hungry as ever on the training pitch this week, and are determined to keep their run going in spite of last week’s disappointment: “On the other hand, we haven’t lost a game in two months. That makes it easier to move on from a result like that. The team’s confidence is still intact,” said Svensson.

Weiper to play twice once again

There will be a very special journey at the weekend for Nelson Weiper, whose self-belief was given a double boost recently. Not only did he score against Werder last Saturday, but he also managed to net the only goal in the first leg of the U19 Bundesliga semi-final against 1. FC Köln on Easter Sunday. He is set to play two games again in the coming days, with the second leg in the battle for a place in the U19 German championship final on Friday afternoon at the Franz-Kremer-Stadion in Cologne.

Svensson explained the plan for 18-year-old Weiper this weekend: “Nelson will play for the U19s and then be on the bench for us,” said the Danish coach, before noting that the situation in the senior squad will dictate how many minutes he gets for the youth team. Karim Onisiwo may well be back to 100% fitness and a potential starter after getting 30 minutes against Bremen, but Marcus Ingvartsen has missed training in the last few days with a strain. “We are hoping that he will be able to be there for our final training session tomorrow,” said the head coach, who has not given up on his fellow countryman recovering in time for the weekend.

January additions paying off

There is one constant in Mainz frontline that Svensson can rely on this Saturday though, with January signing Ludovic Ajorque already a regular feature in the coach’s plans. It wasn’t hard for him to rattle off the striker’s assets when a journalist posed the question at the press conference: “Ludo is big and uses his physical stature well – it’s very hard to get the ball off him. He’s also technically astute,” said Svensson. The Frenchman also has plenty of experience, with 150 Ligue 1 matches under his belt alongside his three months in the Bundesliga. “It’s not just about his individual quality though,” added Svensson. “He’s in his late 20s. He’s already matured as a player and person, he has a cool temperament, and is a family man. On top of that, he draws the attention of multiple defenders, which offers space for his teammates.”

He’s in his late 20s. He’s already matured as a player and person

The other thing that Svensson loves about Ajorque is his “sheer passion” to be at the club. “Ludo is utterly convinced that he is at the right place. We needed him in the winter, but he needed us too. It’s a similar story with Andreas [Hanche-Olsen]. We got lucky twice in January, but we had a good feeling back then at it’s been proven more than right,” referring to two undisputed factors behind the team’s recent successful run, and they will be needed again on Saturday.