“It’s all about our playing style,” da Costa noted in the mixed zone on Sunday night. “We have to get back to our strengths. During [Last Thursday’s away win at Omonia Nicosia] we threw ourselves into every tackle and did everything we could to keep a clean sheet.

“We need to reflect on our strengths,” the former German youth international continued. “We need to focus on doing the simple things and doing them right, contesting tackles, covering ground, and being alert to second balls. The basics must be in order.“

Interestingly enough, da Costa did have some complaints about the “basics” when it came to discussing Thursday’s Conference League fixture. In this case, however, the Bundesliga professional didn’t care for the professionalism of the hosting Cypriot club. 

Speaking on the Copa TS podcast, da Costa claimed that Omonia didn’t provide the German guests with properly inflated balls during the warm-up. In the apparent “deflate-gate” scandal, da Costa reported that Mainz were given 15 improperly inflated footballs. 

“We came out to warm up highly motivated,” da Costa said on the pod. “And then the first and second balls played were completely flat. We were given 15 balls to warm up with and none of them had any air in them. All of their balls were pumped up to perfection.

“I haven’t experienced that in a long time,” da Costa continued. “Both teams wanted to win and get off to a good start in the Conference League. Of course, you do everything you can to achieve that. Omonia took ‘doing everything’ very seriously.

“I was really upset,” da Costa concluded. “I thought to myself ‘What the shit is this?’. I was annoying and totally unsportsmanlike.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

The match proved a very tense and close-knit affair. In the end, a successful penalty-take from Mainz midfield talisman Nadiem Amiri proved the difference-maker. Fans of the hometown team didn’t quite care for the celebration of the guests after Amiri’s 75th-minute conversion. Beer cups rained down from the stands. Mainz striker Ben Bobzien took a receptacle to the neck and play had to be briefly interrupted. 

Amiri spoke on the incident in his post-match interview with Germany’s RTL+. The 28-year-old – who has by far more European experience than the rest of his German club teammates – dealt with the matter maturely. The former Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen professional also made sure to thank 1,500 Mainz supporters for making the trip. So too did defender Stefan Bell, the only Mainz player left from the 2016 European adventure.

“You know how football is,” Amiri said of the beer shower. “It’s okay, that’s football. The main thing is that nothing [serious] happened. Of course, it’s not right, but I understand the emotions, I understand the fans. In a way, we all love it. Everyone is healthy, we won, so it’s all good.“

“I’m just proud and grateful for the support,” Amiri said of the large traveling Mainzer contingent that accompanied the team. “The most important thing for us was to give something back to them, because it’s not a given that so many fans would come so far from home on a Thursday evening.”

“It brought back a few memories from back then,” Bell added when reflecting on his time working with Mainz in the Europa League under former head coaches Martin Schmidt and Kasper Hjulmand. “It was an extremely enjoyable game. The atmosphere was great, both from our fans and the home fans. The opponents were really good and played good football.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

Mainz were heavily linked with Bøving this summer before head coach Bo Henriksen explicitly denied that he was interested in acquiring his Danish compatriot. Plettenberg and the Danish tabloid claim that the Rheinhessen are offering the Austrian Bundesliga champions a €3m purchase offer that includes bonuses and a re-sale clause. 

Kicker Mainz correspondent Michael Ebert interviewed club sporting director Nico Bungert following last night’s emotional home victory over Rosenborg BK. Henriksen’s team were able to rebound from an unexpected defeat to the Norwegians in the opening playoff leg and successfully qualify for the 2025/26 UEFA Europa Conference League.

“He [Bøving] is one of several exciting players, but we haven’t made a final decision yet,” Bungert is quoted as saying. “We wanted to wait until [after this] game first and will see who it comes down to.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

Unlike in the Champions League or Europa League, Conference League contestants only play six (as opposed to eight) group stage matches. The group phase will also wrap up before the conclusion of the current 2025 calendar year. Mainz’s UECL journey is slated to begin on October 2nd, 2025 and conclude on December 18th, 20225.

Mainz’s Draw

AC Fiorentina (H), Lech Poznan (A), Zrinjski Mostar (H), Omonia Nikosia (A), Samsunspor (H), Universitatea Craiova (A)

Conference League Dates

League phase:

Matchday 1: October 2, 2025

Matchday 2: October 23, 2025

Matchday 3: November 6, 2025

Matchday 4: November 27, 2025

Matchday 5: December 11, 2025

Matchday 6: December 18, 2025

Knockout stage:

Play-offs (9th-24th place: February 19-26, 2026

Round of 16: March 12/19, 2026

Quarterfinals: April 9/16, 2026

Semifinals: April 30 to May 7, 2026

Final: May 27, 2026 in Leipzig

Analysis

Mainz’s road to Leipzig isn’t an easy one. The Rheinhessen must host a tough Serie A opponent to get things rolling, then travel to Poznan to take on the Polish champions. The Croatian champions and always difficult Turkish outfit Samsunspor are also on the docket.

Matches against non-champion Cypriot and Romanian sides constitute the only real easier fixtures. It looks to be difficult to the Palatinate club to pick up points. A “six point flop” on the draw isn’t the ideal outcome for the Pfälzer.

GGFN | Peter Weis

The Premier League giants have endured a topsy-turvy season.

Manchester United sit 14th in the Premier League but enjoyed their best result of the season in midweek, with an extra-time win vs Lyon to reach the Europa League semi-finals.

However, the squad deficits are apparent.

Manchester United lack attacking options and have been reliant on Bruno Fernandes’ 17 goal contributions and Amad Diallo’s 12 goals and assists.

Manchester United have one of the worst forward lines in the Premier League, amassing just 38 league goals.

Only five teams have fewer attacking returns.

Christopher Vivell, Director of Football at Man United, was in the stands for Leipzig’s 3-2 win at Wolfsburg to scout new attacking options.

According to Bild, Vivell was there for striker Benjamin Sesko (21) and Xavi Simons (21).

Sesko has scored 24 goals for club and country this season.

The Slovenian forward is contracted to RB Leipzig until 2029 but is drawing interest from across Europe, including Arsenal and Chelsea.

But Sesko won’t be cheap.

RB Leipzig have stuck a £86m price tag on the forward.

Xavi Simons is being closely monitored as a cheap(er) option.

RB Leipzig signed Xavi (until 2027) from Paris Saint-Germain for €50 million in the winter.

Simons has scored 12 goals for club and country this season, plus seven assists.

Whilst the Dutchman has been less prolific than Sesko in front of goal, his brace in front of Vivell would have justified his €70 million price tag.

Liverpool are also monitoring Simons but the primary issue for Manchester United is the price.

Bild report that the club can only complete these transfers if they win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League next season would bring in up to €116 million in additional revenue.

GGFN | Oscar O’Mara

The Danish guests traveled to the Voith Arena and pushed extra time with a 2-1 lead after 90 minutes. A 114th minute goal saw Copenhagen win 3-1 and advance 3-2 on aggregate. Schmidt – full of disappointment and shame – took responsibility for a substitution error at the post-match press conference. 

It was none other than future Borussia Mönchengladbach fullback Kevin Diks who put Copenhagen ahead 2-0 in the 53rd. FCH sub Leonardo Scienza pulled a goal back in the 74th. Norman Theuerkauf – subbed on one minute before the third Copenhagen goal – looked out-of-sync on Rodrigo Huescas’ strike that made it 3-1.

“I have to admit that I made a mistake,” Schmidt remarked at the press conference. “I shouldn’t have made the last substitution because we were actually standing well at the back with ‘Honsi’ [Mathias Honsak working in defense]. We should have kept it that way.”

“This story could have had a much different ending,” Schmidt concluded with no shortage of deflation. “I can’t even think about it. The disappointment is too much.”

GGFN | Peter Weis

However, against all the odds, Heidenheim stunned the Bundesliga; with victories over Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart, the small club from Baden-Württemberg qualified for European football.

This season, Heidenheim will compete in the UEFA Conference League, where they will host two-time European champions Chelsea in a real David vs Goliath clash.

Nevertheless, while a European adventure will feel like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Frank Schmidt’s side, there could be more on the horizon.

Having dispatched newly promoted St. Pauli in front of a gruelling atmosphere at the Millerntor-Stadion in Hamburg, Heidenheim have also impressed at home, putting Augsburg to the sword on matchday two with an emphatic 4-0 victory.

It would be fair to say that Heidenheim have been the surprise package of German football over the past twelve months, but could Frank Schmidt’s side take their underdog status to unimaginable heights?

Could Heidenheim actually win the Bundesliga?

Just two games into the new campaign, Heidenheim are sitting at the top of the Bundesliga table—a remarkable achievement even though the season is in its infancy.

Six goals without reply from 180 minutes of football highlight the breath-taking work undertaken by Frank Schmidt since becoming head coach of the side in 2007.

Still one of the favourites to go down this season for many—mainly due to the addition of European football—Heidenheim are continuing to prove everyone wrong again, or are they?

It had previously been reported by GGFN that Opta had predicted Bayer Leverkusen to reclaim their Bundesliga title.

However, when Opta simulated the league 1000 times, Bayern, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, VfB Stuttgart, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Mainz were also all predicted to be crowned German champions at least once, along with Heidenheim.

The data used by Opta believes that Frank Schmidt’s side has a slight chance of winning the Bundesliga, regardless of how small that chance might be.

In Paul Wanner, Heidenheim do have a creative and clinical attacking threat, complemented by a variety of attacking options that Schmidt can rely upon at any given time.

Defensively, while they may have left a little to be desired at times last season, they are a well-drilled unit that can frustrate any opponent on their day.

Whether Heidenheim will win the Bundesliga is far too early to say, and in truth, it is highly unlikely.

But there is a side ready to compete for European football once again, and as for relegation, there is no sign of Heidenheim succumbing to the drop.

GGFN | Will Shopland

Frankfurt are once again back in the Europa League after a two-year absence which saw them compete in the Champions League and Conference League. When they were last in the competition they won it after beating Rangers in the final in Sevilla, this year’s final is also in Spain but in Bilbao. Hoffenheim also make their return to European football, they last featured in the Europa League in 2020.

While Heidenheim are in the Conference League and are in their first-ever season of European football after overcoming BK Häcken 5-3 on aggregate. The UECL final this year is in the Polish city of Wrocław. Heidenheim will also play two games less than their Bundesliga counterparts in Europe due to the format of the UECL. 

Full Europa League Draw:

Eintracht Frankfurt:

Slavia Prague (H), AS Roma (A), Ferencváros (H), Lyon (A), Viktoria Plzen (H), Midtjylland (A), RFS (H), Besiktas (A)

Hoffenheim:

Tottenham (H), Porto (A), Lyon (H), Braga (A), Dynamo Kyiv (H), Midtjylland (A), FCSB (H), Anderlecht (A)

Full Conference League Draw:

Heidenheim:

Chelsea (H), Istanbul Başakşehir (A), Olympija (H), Hearts (A), St Gallen (H), Pafos (A)

GGFN | Jack Meenan 

The side who had never featured in the top flight of German football until last season, were the Bundesliga’s surprise package in 2023/24. 

So much so that they finished 8th and qualified for the final round of the Europa Conference League. 

With a population of under 50,000 residents, Heidenheim’s success is a rarity in German football. The European places are often dominated by teams from larger cities who also have wealthy backers (Union Berlin perhaps the only other success story despite being from the capital). 

Heidenheim’s debut will come against BK Häcken located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Played over two-legs, the overall winner of the tie will earn a place in the Conference League group stages this season. 

Heidenheim head coach, Frank Schmidt, has been involved with the club since he was a player in the lower leagues of German football. He has oversaw the club’s rise from the semi-professional divisions into the professional leagues and now into a European competition. 

Schmidt describes the club’s debut in Europe to be “naturally something significant.”

Heidenheim are backed by 500 travelling away fans who are keen on witnessing history and hopefully a favourable result. 

Club captain, Patrick Mainka, sums up the mood: “This is a milestone game, and the fans are aware of it”…”We can leverage this and derive strength from it. We aim to put on a decent show for them and see where this journey takes us.”

Favourites? 

Despite it being Heidenheim’s debut on the European stage, they will still be expected to progress to the group stages of the Conference League. 

They’re in a superior league to their Swedish counterparts and have the better team on paper. 

However, BK Häcken are already 9 games into their domestic season and possibly a little bit more match fit than Heidenheim. 

The Bundesliga side played their first official competitive match of the season last weekend in round one of the DFB Pokal. 

Frank Schmidt’s side easily got the better of fourth tier side, FC 08 Villingen, winning 0-4. 

This sleepy village will be bouncing for the return leg next week and they’ll be hoping for many more Thursday evening fixtures against some of Europe’s most recognisable teams. Even if European football is just a once off for Heidenheim, they’re living through a golden era and it must be savoured whether you’re a local or football enthusiast. 

GGFN | Jamie Allen

Streich was appointed in December 2011 and has gone on to manage nearly 500 games for his beloved Freiburg.

Yesterday, it ended in tears.

After a last gasp winner for Union Berlin that secured their Bundesliga survival, Streich was in no mood for celebrating as his side finished outside the European qualification places.

It brings the curtain down on a remarkable era, where Streich has brought Freiburg from the cusp of 2. Bundesliga relegation to the highs of Champions League football.

After his final game, Streich struck a forlorn figure but graciously spoke to Get Football.

It is an emotional time

With Freiburg missing out on European qualification, four points off Hoffenheim in seventh and winless in his final five games, Streich was apologetic to the fans.

“At the moment I’m just extremely disappointed in myself I’m sorry to the players, to the fans.

It is an emotional time now for me. We didn’t manage to win the game, we didn’t manage to finish 8th and I’ve not managed to give the last impetus to the next coaching team and that’s how it is now.

This day today, the last day for me as a coach at SC Freiburg, is the ultimate disappointment for me.”

A sensational journey

The defeat dropped Freiburg to tenth but after an extraordinary career, Streich reflected on what has been an exceptional experience.

“The fact that we haven’t won a game in the last few weeks is unbelievable. I have to take the blame for that [but I’m] very touched.

I have worked with countless players over the years. I can’t even summarise it, it was exceptional, to experience a promotion, it was a dream.

It has been a sensational journey.

I experienced so many great things here together and that’s why it’s a shame that we haven’t managed to do more and it has ended like this. It’s exceptionally disappointing right now to see it any other way.”

What next?

Streich received a standing ovation from all four sides of the Alte Försterei as he departed the stage yesterday and said he was “touched” by the fans.

Reflecting on his experience, Streich said he knows it was the right decision and now has time to reconsider what the future holds.

“I have no concerns whatsoever about what comes next, that I’m exactly in the right place.

I’m very happy with the decision to stop. It was exactly the right decision.

I’m happy about it at the moment, but basically I realised that if I was allowed to decide my future, that it would be a gift.

I have had an unbelievable time.”

For those associated with Freiburg, that time has been unforgettable.

Now, Streich can enjoy his rest.

GGFN | Oscar O’Mara