Overview
- Gladbach beat VfB Stuttgart 3-2 on Friday to record their first Bundesliga win of the season and prevent the club from becoming the first team to lose their opening seven matches.
- Stuttgart opened with a long-range strike by Ermedin Demirović that goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas failed to hold, and Gladbach responded with goals from Joe Scally, Shuto Machino, and Wael Mohya before a late Demirović consolation.
- Alexander Blessin, appointed after Eugen Polanski's dismissal, notched his first win in his third game in charge and produced an immediate tactical and morale response from the squad.
- Defensive problems remain acute: Gladbach have conceded 21 goals so far, the most in the league, and have already allowed six long-distance strikes this season.
- Key absences forced makeshift defensive choices with Sander moved into a back three alongside Chiarodia and Hashioka, a situation that raises lingering questions about squad depth and the club's relegation risk if the defense does not improve.