Urs Fischer insists Mainz ‘aren’t out of the woods yet’ ahead of highly anticipated Bundesliga showdown against Freiburg | OneFootball

Despite the fact that his team achieved an incredible European feat on Monday evening, Mainz 05 head coach Urs Fischer remained his usual cautious self at his Friday pre-match press conference. The 60-year-old once again emphasized that his team still contested the Bundesliga relegation race. On 33 points heading into the 2025/26 Bundesliga’s 29th matchday, Mainz must still secure at least one more win or two more draws in order to reach the 35-point “safety threshold”. 

Mainz face none other than their fellow German European success story SC Freiburg in the league on Sunday. It may well prove the case that Fischer’s men won’t pick up any points against the high-flying Breisgauer. In an interview conducted with Kicker Magazine last week, Fischer insisted that his side was not safe from relegation. The Mainz trainer made clear that he still maintained that view even though Mainz upset Champions League contenders Hoffenheim and garnered three points last weekend. 

Urs Fischer on Mainz’s mentality

“I’m far from that opinion,” Fischer said when asked if his Rheinhessen could tentatively celebrate safety. “To look that far ahead and give the lads that impression would simply be wrong. I stand by it [what I said last week]. We’re still [arithmetically] in the mix and it’s not good enough yet. Sure, the situation has changed a bit, but we’re still not out of the woods yet. 

“Unfortunately, there’s no time to celebrate yet,” Fischer said looking ahead to his upcoming opponent. “We must take time to sort out our mentality properly. We’re facing a very patient, composed, and mature team. Dreams are permitted, but there’s a solid cap on them.“

GGFN | Peter Weis