Gladbach face unwanted record in Stuttgart: first club to lose first seven games?
No points, 8-20 goals, nine players out: bottom side Borussia Mönchengladbach visit VfB Stuttgart tonight (20:30 CEST). Defeat would be a first in 63 years of the Bundesliga.
Archive image · Photo: Xocolatl / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)
Borussia Mönchengladbach have their backs to the wall ahead of Friday's matchday-seven game at VfB Stuttgart (20:30 CEST). Gladbach have lost all six league games so far, with a goal difference of 8-20. Another defeat would make them the first club in 63 years of Bundesliga history to open a season with seven losses. Düsseldorf (1991/92), Mainz (2020/21) and Bochum (2022/23) all took points in their seventh game after six defeats.
Coach Alexander Blessin, in charge since 22 September, has so far lost the derby against Cologne and the home game against Hoffenheim (1-2). According to t-online, he is without nine players, including captain Tim Kleindienst, Franck Honorat and Ko Itakura with muscle injuries, as well as Isac Lidberg. "We have to go through the valley of torment," Blessin said, according to t-online.
Stuttgart also have injury worries: besides Josha Vagnoman, the club is without Nikolas Nartey, Tiago Tomás, Justin Diehl and Dan-Axel Zagadou. Coach Sebastian Hoeneß said his side go into the game "well prepared and with a lot of power".