Thomas Reis: The win over Bremen has given us a real boost

The duo, who both got injured in the 5-2 home win over Hertha BSC, have trained all week. “There is no reason why they both can’t make the squad right now,” said head coach Thomas Reis. The boss revealed that Sepp van den Berg, who scored the equaliser on his comeback against Werder on Saturday night, is a candidate to start the game, though he wouldn’t reveal who he could replace. “I have a good feeling regarding all three centre-backs,” said Reis, referring to van den Berg, Marcin Kaminski and Maya Yoshida. Moritz Jenz will once again miss out this Friday.

Away form needs to be improved

In Brunner, Skarke, van den Berg and Polter, who also made his comeback against Werder, Reis now has plenty more options available to him than he did a few weeks ago. “I’m pleased that I have more decisions to make that can help the team now. It makes me confident that we can get the win in Mainz,” added Reis, who wants his side to improve on their poor away form. “The team is determined to do better than they have done on their travels recently. Coming from behind to win against Bremen has given us a real boost,” said the 49-year-old.

An excellent 2023 for Mainz so far

The hosts have been in great form in the second half of the season and occupy third place in a table representing this period. However, they lost their last game 3-0 at VfL Wolfsburg. “One game not going to plan is something that we unfortunately know all too well,” stated Reis. He described Bo Svensson’s team as one that “plays at a high intensity, gets stuck in and operates with a lot of passion.”

Reis once again wants his side to play with confidence and to stick to their own style. “We want to do better than we did in our last two away games,” added Reis, stating the importance of picking up more points in the fight for survival. “We want to win in Mainz.”