Nagelsmann: "Reach our overall goals with small steps"

Julian Nagelsmann on…

... the opposition.

Gladbach are a team that I like to watch. They have great individual talents and have a lot of options in the final third. They are really creative and everyone wants the ball, that’s why they can always shock opponents. They are things that I would also like to see in our game. Our aim has to be to keep them away from our goal, but that will be hard to do for the whole game considering the quality in their side. We will do everything we can to try and come away with a positive outcome.

…the squad.

Things are looking good. Fabian Schär will be back in training from Friday and is currently expected to be available. All of the other players are fully fit.

…the league situation I.

I am here, convinced that we can stay in the Bundesliga. That is why I am obviously happy with how the last few weeks have developed. We have played well and picked up points. We could also have had three or four points more.

…the league situation II.

There is a larger, overall aim, which is to reach safety. On the way, we have a number of smaller targets that will help us to achieve our final goal. These aims play a role in our weekly activities. For example, we want to be six games unbeaten, to win three matches in a row away from home and climb the table.

Previous encounters:

TSG have faced Borussia 15 times in the top flight and history bodes well for Hoffenheim. TSG have won six times, while Gladbach have recorded only four victories. What else? Five draws. The clubs shared the points the first time around this season as well, as they played out a 3-3 in an intense 90 minutes of football.

The opposition’s form:

Mönchengladbach have picked up 16 points from 13 matches since the winter break, putting them eleventh in the table when only results from the second half of the season are taken into consideration. It isn’t enough for a team with European ambitions. The drop can be explained by Gladbach’s terrible away form. Since drawing 3-3 with TSG, André Schubert’s men have only picked up one point away from home (against Augsburg). They have recorded seven losses in eight games including against Ingolstadt and Hannover. BMG have put on impressive showings at home to record 5-0, 3-0, 4-0, 1-0 and 5-1 wins and pick up 15 points. .

The key battle:

Pressure the players and hit them earlier than they are used to. Raffael & Co. enjoy scoring from distance as well with ten of their goals coming from outside of the box, the best in the league along with Bayer Leverkusen.

Match facts and statistics »