…OPPONENT

Gladbach has a compact pressing and a strong counter-attack game. They play very calmly when they have the ball. They are a controlled team. Gladbach is very strong after corners, but we are warned about that.

…ABOUT THE MATCH

The team is able to react. We have gotten up after setbacks several times. Before Mainz we played a good game against Augsburg. We want to stay compact and make the right decisions both with and against the ball. If we do that, we will get three points. We were able to show the problems with just a few scenes. The team knows what was missing. It hasn’t been a pleasant week for everyone, but maybe that’s just right. Almost every team in the league is inconsistent. That's part of professional football. We have to deal with all situations, but too often we allow ourselves to be thrown off balance. That’s an issue for us, and we’re on it.

…INJURY REPORT

Stanley Nsoki is still out, as are the long-term injured players. Dennis Geiger also has slight problems with his adductors and is not an option for Saturday.

…MATCH PLAN

No matter what game, at what level, we always try to have eleven men behind the ball. I see teams that do that and become champions. That's part of it. We don’t do it any more than others. The difference partly lies in the player profile. They want to continue to play forward, but bringing a certain level of security into the team will remain the approach until the end of the season.

…ABOUT THE MATCH

More control so that we have time to place ourselves well. The same with the ball. I think we kept things entertaining for a long time this season because we tried to play offensively. Then came the justified criticism that we were conceding too many goals. But he didn't mean to criticise his defensive approach - in fact, it was the right reaction.

…OPPONENT

It feels like 90 percent of the teams are concerned with consistency. With the exception of Leverkusen, we all have setbacks this season. We know that Hoffenheim played good football at home, but we also know that they often scored one or two more goals.

…INJURY REPORT

Manu Koné, Jordan Siebatcheu, Tony Jantschke, Chris Kramer and Grant-Leon Ranos will be injured and not reported for the game. All other players were there in training.