Gladbach arrive at Stuttgart with zero points and a chance to become the first club in Bundesliga history to lose its first seven games, but I think the more interesting thing is who is actually available to each side. Gladbach have nine players out, including most of their attack, and Stuttgart are playing their second night match in four days after the Atlético draw. So my question is whether a patched Gladbach can still hurt a tired home side, or whether the tiredness only matters if Stuttgart's own makeshift midfield lets the game get stretched.
Gladbach first. Per Get German Football News, Blessin listed Kleindienst (muscle tear) among the nine absentees, and our list adds Lidberg, Kühn, Honorat, Leopold, Fleck, Castrop, Itakura and Leszczynski. He left open whether to play a classic striker or a false nine, with Machino named as an option; Gladbachtotal projects a back three with Machino alone up front. They lost 1-2 to Hoffenheim and 1-2 at Köln in their last two, so they have been losing close games rather than being blown away, though they have conceded 20 in six.
Stuttgart's side. The club says Vagnoman hurt his hamstring against Atlético, Nartey is out, and Tomás, Diehl and Zagadou are still building fitness, though Hoeneß said the group is well prepared. Their last four were a 1-1 with Atlético, a 0-1 at Hamburg, a 3-0 at Slovan Bratislava and a 2-0 at Paderborn, so the home side is not short of wins, just of a settled back line. Spox projects Assignon filling in at right-back.
What I would watch: if Gladbach's lone striker gets isolated, the whole thing becomes a question of how often Stuttgart give away the ball in midfield after a short turnaround. It is the same sort of tension as the Atlético game, where the hosts' repairs were the story.
