Hoeness: "Mainz are on the right track"

Sebastian Hoeness on …

… the opposition: "They played very deep against Freiburg and they got the win with that system. Especially in the first half, the tactics worked very well. It is quite conceivable that they will line up like that again on Sunday. Mainz are on the right track, even though the results have not always been there. In Jean-Philippe Mateta, they have a very reliable striker in their ranks. It's going to be another big test."

… the match on Sunday: "We hope, of course, that progressing in the Europa League will also spur us on in the Bundesliga. The focus now is on Sunday. When we decided on the line-up for Liberec, every position was reinforced. We want to get some points on the board on Sunday, preferably all three!"

… the personnel situation: "It helps us to have more options in the squad again. That's a feeling we haven't had yet this season. Unfortunately, I still have nothing positive to report on Benjamin Hübner. He has been out for a long time and it will also take some time. I feel incredibly sorry for him. And we could really use him. As captain, he is an extension of me on the pitch. We hope that his injury troubles will come to an end soon."

… progress in the Europa League: "We are very pleased. Yesterday's victory helped us in many ways. We have now secured qualification and now have more options in terms of sharing the load of playing time. It wasn't the best game of football, but that didn't surprise me."

The opposition’s form:

Last Sunday, Mainz won for the first time in this Bundesliga season. Thanks to the 3-1 win at SC Freiburg, coach Jan-Moritz Lichte's team are out of the relegation zone and lie 15th in the table with four points.

Head-to-head record:

The two teams will meet for the 25th time in the Bundesliga. TSG do not come out on top in the head-to-head comparison, with eight wins, seven draws and nine defeats, but they have won five of the last nine games (with two draws and two defeats).

Match facts and statistics »