scfreiburg.com: SC scored six goals in a Bundesliga game for the first time, became the first side with six different goalscorers in a first half, became the first away team in Bundesliga history to score five times in the opening 25 minutes, recorded the biggest half-time lead since 1978 and registered the biggest Bundesliga win in club history. Which of those statistics about the Gladbach game is the best one for you?

They’re all great, but the biggest SC win in the Bundesliga is the best one.

How often did you have to pinch yourself?

A lot! Us guys on the bench were stunned about how easy it seemed, but also about how well the lads were doing. Every shot was a goal – it was just surreal.

When did the realisation come that records could be broken?

Once it went 4-0 after 18 minutes. It was already pretty amazing then. The fifth and sixth goals then felt a bit like a dream. We weren’t quite able to believe what was going on, but we realised it could be a historic day once the fourth goal went in.

What did the coaching team tell the players beforehand?

We were instructed to leave little space between the parts of the team and to play brave football, which worked. You also have to say that Gladbach’s defending from set pieces wasn’t all that clever. Overall, our match plan worked well.

The mood on the journey home must have been good.

Of course, though it wasn’t over the top. It actually wasn’t that different to normal. Everybody was watching films and had headphones in. We all felt a bit relieved though, having ended a run of three straight defeats with this win.

You mentioned that three-game losing run. Aside from the heavy scoreline, it was a very important win, right?

Yeah, a win at Gladbach wasn’t expected. We hadn’t won there in the Bundesliga for a few decades! We’ve now got some confidence again and we can go into the Hoffenheim home game with some real belief.

Hoffenheim have won each of their last three games and are just one place behind us in the table in fifth. What do we need to prepare ourselves for?

Hoffenheim have managed to stabilise themselves and are now in good form. They’ve got some very good players and they’re flexible too. It will be a close, tough and exciting game, which will hopefully go our way.

You came through Hoffenheim’s academy. Do you still know people there?

Not many anymore. I actually played with Alex Rosen (current director of football) for their U23s. I still know a physio, a doctor and the two Seyferts (the kitmen) – they are proper legends there. I don’t really know any of the players well now. A lot has changed, including the management staff too.

What will we need to be wary of?

We need to continue to keep small gaps between our team parts, get stuck in, be confident with the ball again and make good decisions. That may be a cliché, however it’s true. We have to try and play our own game and then we’ll see what we can get from it.

Only 750 fans are allowed to attend the game. Will it even feel like a home game?

To be honest, it won’t be a proper home game. The atmosphere would be completely different with 34,000 fans there, so it’s obviously a shame. We will be prepared for this change and we will give our all for the fans watching at home on TV. We will try to still make this into a home game.