Gladbach face historic Bundesliga record as Blessin names nine absentees before Stuttgart trip

Blessin's blunt injury update

Borussia Mönchengladbach head coach Alexander Blessin faces a daunting task as his team prepares to visit VfB Stuttgart on Friday evening. The Bundesliga's bottom club stands on the brink of an unwanted historical record: a defeat would make Gladbach the first team in Bundesliga history to lose their opening seven matches.

Speaking at Thursday's pre-match press conference, Blessin offered a sardonic introduction to his lengthy list of absentees. "This is a nice piece of white paper," Blessin remarked while looking at the printed copy of his club's injury report. "Not much has changed for the better. We have Isak [Lidberg] out with muscular problems. We have Tim [Kleindienst] who is still struggling with his muscle tear. We have Jan [Leszczynski] and his knee sprain, but he looks good and I'm cautiously optimistic."

"Fritz [Fleck] also has a severe sprain, but I think he'll be back very soon," Blessin continued. "Nick [Nicolas Kühn], it's simply too early for him to feature. It's the same thing with Jens [Castrop]. To be perfectly honest, he's a long way out. He's completed three training sessions. I hope he'll be able to return to the squad next week. Ko [Itakura] will be integrated back into team training soon. The same applies to Franck [Honorat]. Everyone knows what's going on with Enzo [Leopold] and his ACL tear. A lot of players won't be available. But we'll still be able to field a strong team tomorrow."

A depleted attack

The absence of Isak Lidberg represents another unwelcome development for Blessin. The Swedish striker was forced off during Sunday's 2-1 home defeat against Hoffenheim after experiencing discomfort in his thigh. With captain Tim Kleindienst also sidelined, Gladbach have been deprived of two important options at centre-forward.

Stuttgart must contend with the absence of their leading Bundesliga goalscorer Josha Vagnoman, but Gladbach's attacking predicament is more severe. Shuto Machino is now expected to shoulder much of the responsibility up front; the 27-year-old has struggled for a consistent goalscoring contribution and has not scored from open play since January.

Blessin confirmed that 19-year-old striker Iaia Manco Danfa will be included in the matchday squad, although he is not considered a realistic starting option. Danfa made his professional debut in Sunday's defeat to Hoffenheim, logging 12 minutes as a substitute. "No, he's not an option to start," Blessin said. "I have no fear of throwing young players into the fray, but it depends on what they show in training. That he's made a good impression is clear and he will be in the squad. But we've work to do [with him] on the bench."

Record-chasing start to the season

The five-time German champions have lost all six of their opening Bundesliga fixtures, conceding 20 goals while scoring just eight. Their zero-point return leaves them five points adrift of 17th-placed Union Berlin.

Only three other clubs have previously lost their first six Bundesliga matches: Fortuna Düsseldorf in 1991/92, Mainz 05 in 2020/21 and VfL Bochum in 2022/23. All three collected their first points on Matchday 7, so a defeat at Stuttgart would set an unprecedented Bundesliga mark.

Blessin, who previously represented Stuttgart as a player, took charge during the international break after Gladbach's opening four defeats, and has since overseen losses against Köln and Hoffenheim. The 53-year-old has inherited an exceptionally difficult situation. Defensive lapses remain a concern: against Hoffenheim, Gladbach equalised in the 49th minute only to surrender the initiative again through another avoidable error. Blessin has responded by holding this week's training sessions behind closed doors to build tactical clarity and collective responsibility.

Summer recruitment under scrutiny

The injury crisis has also exposed problems with the club's summer planning. Gladbach recruited ten players in the transfer window, but most have struggled to make a sustained contribution. Japanese midfielder Zento Uno suffered a serious ankle injury before joining from Shimizu S-Pulse and later encountered further muscular setbacks; he only earned his first start against Hoffenheim. Ukrainian international Yukhym Konoplia was signed to address the right-back problem but sustained a knee ligament injury during preseason and has yet to feature competitively. His replacement, loan signing Daiki Hashioka, missed several weeks after a collision with Antonio Nusa against Leipzig.

Deadline-day signing Nicolas Kühn has managed only one brief substitute appearance because of a muscle-bundle tear, while former Hannover captain Enzo Leopold faces an extended absence after tearing his ACL in September. Ko Itakura, returning from Ajax, struggled for form before suffering a muscle-fibre tear. Promising Polish centre-back Jan Leszczynski, one of the few bright spots among the newcomers, has also been sidelined with a knee injury. David Herold has struggled to displace Lukas Ullrich at left-back.

Pressure builds on sporting director and board

The crisis has intensified scrutiny of sporting director Rouven Schröder. Following Sunday's defeat, Schröder acknowledged his own responsibility for the situation while insisting the club must remain united.

Dissatisfaction has also reached the club's leadership. The FPMG Supporters Club, representing more than 6,500 supporters, renewed its demand that club president Rainer Bonhof and other members of the executive committee resign. The group had initially called for changes ahead of April's general meeting, and reiterated its position after the opening six defeats. "We will not stand idly by and watch as our club is driven into the ground," the association declared in a statement released Monday.

A glimmer of historical hope

There is, however, a precedent suggesting Gladbach's campaign is not beyond recovery. Of the three previous teams to lose their opening six matches, two ultimately avoided relegation. Current Gladbach midfielder Kevin Stöger was involved in both of those successful survival campaigns.