Nagelsmann: "It's an important match"

Julian Nagelsmann on…

…how the international break has limited training time: "The fixture list hasn't been our friend this year. We have a lot of internationals. We'll only have one training session together. Most of them are coming back today. The players who played yesterday aren't ready to train today. I've often said that I don't understand the call-up periods. I think they should be handled differently."

…the personnel situation: "Nico Schulz is suspended on Friday. Adam Szalai has a gastrointestinal infection and has not yet returned from Hungary. We'll need to see whether he's okay for Friday. Andrej Kramaric (knee problems) and Reiss Nelson (thigh problems) are carrying niggles."

… Alfred Schreuder: "I was just as surprised as the players and everyone else. I have a lot of belief in Alfred. He spent a long time as my assistant coach as TSG and he knows the club. But he'll definitely bring fresh momentum with him too. It's a sensible appointment and I wish him all the best. He has a winning mentality and he doesn't like losing. That's a good attitude to have in professional sport."

…Friday's match: "It's an important match for both teams. Leverkusen are playing catch-up from the first half-season. They've been stable and picked up many points since the winter break. I've admired Peter Bosz for years. He does incredible work and plays very attractive football − whether at Ajax, Borussia Dortmund or Bayer Leverkusen. It'll be an exciting match. Leverkusen have a highly talented squad."

The social media fan question of the week:

Are you good at manual tasks?

"I'm incredibly meticulous when it comes to household tasks. I try to do a lot of it myself. I was very bad at it, but I'm getting better. If I hadn't become a coach, my dream job would have been a carpenter."

The opposition's form:

Bayer Leverkusen dismissed previous coach Heiko Herrlich over the winter break and replaced him with Peter Bosz. Things have been going well under the Dutchman. The Werkself have climbed up to sixth and have the second-best record in the Bundesliga over the past 10 matches.

Head-to-head record:

Leverkusen were a bogey team for TSG for a long time. In their first 21 Bundesliga meetings, Hoffenheim only won four times (D3, L14). However, recent clashes offer cause for optimism. The Kraichgau club have only lost one of the last six matches, winning three and drawing two. Julian Nagelsmann's charges claimed a 4-1 victory in the reverse fixture.