Rhineland-Palatinate: “Hjulmand is not unbeatable” – Mainz coach Henriksen before the Danes’ duel against Leverkusen
Two Danes, two teams, but only one can win. Mainz 05 coach Bo Henriksen and Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand have already met in their home country. Now for the first duel in the Bundesliga.
On Saturday, coaches Bo Henriksen and Kasper Hjulmand will meet Mainz 05 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen (3:30 p.m. / live in the audio stream on sportschau.de). Even though both men come from Denmark, previously worked as coaches there and now both work in the Bundesliga, they could hardly be more different. Henriksen is considered emotional, passionate and direct. The 50-year-old has already received one yellow-red card and five yellow cards since taking over in February 2024. Hjulmand, who replaced Erik ten Hag on the Leverkusen coaching bench at the beginning of September, takes a calmer tone. He is appreciated for his empathetic and tactical skills. In the Mainz Arena, the two Danes face each other on the sidelines for a coaching duel.
Henriksen on the Danish duel: “Hjulmand is not unbeatable”
Henriksen and Hjulmand have already met as coaches in Denmark. Hjulmand won three times with his club FC Nordsjaelland against Henriksen’s AC Horsens and lost only once. The two teams have drawn four times. The results speak in favor of the new Leverkusen coach. Henriksen compared these statistics on Friday in a financial context: “He has 100 percent better statistics, but he also had a team with a budget ten times bigger than mine. But I won against him,” said the Mainz coach. He draws the conclusion: “Hjulmand is not unbeatable”.
For the rest, Henriksen is not particularly concerned about the clash with his compatriot Hjulmand. “For me the most important thing is not the coach, but the match and the fact that we score three points.”
Kasper Hjulmand celebrated Bundesliga debut near Mainz 05
Hjulmand was already located where Henriksen is active today. He was coach of 1. FSV Mainz 05 from July 2014 to February 2015. He played his first match as a Bundesliga coach with Rheinhessen. At that time there was a 2-2 draw against SC Paderborn. After this match, he remained undefeated for seven games before falling into a sporting low with Mainz. He was placed on leave in February 2015 and his contract was terminated some time later.
Bo Henriksen wants to escape the crisis with Mainz
These statistics make Bo Henriksen the best coach in the history of the Bundesliga in Mainz. The Dane averaged 1.5 points per game and scored 1.6 goals in each game with the 05ers. Even the number of great coaches Thomas Tuchel and Jürgen Klopp cannot keep up. Henriksen is nevertheless currently going through the first small crisis of his mandate. After the sixth day, Mainz occupies the penultimate place in the standings. The upcoming matches could be revolutionary for the Dane.
Hjulmand, on the other hand, is currently experiencing the opposite. His team did not lose any of the six games under his leadership. This also makes the Rhine guests the big favorites for Saturday’s match. But Henriksen and his Mainz team should not be underestimated. Even if the results of the Danish shock speak in favor of Hjulmand, Bo Henriksen can decide the internal balance of the Bundesliga in his favor.
Broadcast on Saturday October 18, 2025, 2:00 p.m., Stadium, SWR1
