Key Facts
- Gladbach is missing four key players in Kleindienst (knee surgery), Hack, Ngoumou, and the suspended Reitz – the attack and midfield are severely depleted.
- St. Pauli has earned ten points from their last five league games, while Gladbach has only managed four – a clear difference in form in favor of St. Pauli in this relegation battle.
- Gladbach has conceded goals in four of their last five Bundesliga matches and boasts the league’s weakest attack; the absences exacerbate this structural weakness.
- Head-to-head record in the last five competitive matches is even (2 wins each, 1 draw); in the last three meetings, fewer than two goals were scored after halftime in each game.
- Betting market analysis: Double chance X2 is seen as undervalued; an away win for St. Pauli (odds around 3.9) is a serious alternative given Gladbach’s personnel situation.
- St. Pauli also has injury concerns: Saliakas is out with a thigh injury, Sands is questionable – along with Nemeth, Mets, and Hountondji, defensive depth is limited.
Severely weakened, Borussia Mönchengladbach hosts FC St. Pauli on Friday evening: The Foals are missing four starters due to injuries and suspensions – Tim Kleindienst is out following knee surgery with no specific return date, Robin Hack and Nathan Ngoumou are also unavailable, and Rocco Reitz is suspended after receiving a red card against Bayern Munich. For coach Eugen Polanski, this personnel crisis comes at the worst possible time, as the team desperately needs points, while the opponent arrives full of confidence.
- Date and time: March 13, 2026, 8:30 PM
- Competition: Bundesliga (Matchday 26)
Despite home-field advantage, the betting market sees Gladbach as the favorite with odds around 2.0, but this assessment is analytically questionable. The absences of Kleindienst, Hack, Ngoumou, and Reitz hit the attack and midfield hard; furthermore, Gladbach has conceded goals in four of their last five Bundesliga matches. St. Pauli has lost only once in its last five league games and brings form and defensive discipline to the table.
Gladbach Form & Record Check
The recent 1-4 loss to Bayern Munich has highlighted Gladbach’s problems.
Already trailing 0-2 at halftime, the situation worsened shortly after the restart when Reitz was shown a red card for a professional foul and Bayern converted the resulting penalty through Musiala. A late consolation goal by 17-year-old substitute Mohya was the only bright spot on an otherwise frustrating evening. It was their third loss in five league games, with only a 1-0 home win against Union Berlin in between. Gladbach has the league’s weakest attack this season; the absence of their regular attacking players leaves the offense vulnerable in terms of both quantity and quality.
The visitors, however, have their own personnel concerns: Saliakas suffered a thigh injury against Frankfurt and is definitely out, while Sands sustained a ligament injury in his ankle and is questionable. Lars Ritzka and Connor Metcalfe are expected to fill the gaps. Combined with existing absences like Nemeth, Mets, and Hountondji, St. Pauli’s defensive depth is being put to the test, but the team’s mentality appears solid.
St. Pauli Form & Record Check
Polanski apparently plans to start Mohya from the beginning to boost creativity in the attack. Florian Neuhaus could come off the bench as an experienced option, possibly at the expense of Stöger in the starting lineup. Yannik Engelhardt is expected to return and provide some stability. The expected formation is a 3-4-2-1: Honorat and Bolin are likely to take on the attacking midfield roles behind the striker, with Tabakovic the obvious candidate for the front line. The team is expected to rely on quick transitions and purposeful runs from the attacking midfield, while a back three and a four-man midfield are expected to provide stability.
The head-to-head record between the two teams is even: In their last five competitive matches, Gladbach has two wins, St. Pauli has two, and there was one draw. This season has seen both extremes within a few weeks: a 4-0 win for Gladbach at the Millerntor and a 2-1 victory for Hamburg at Borussia-Park. A notable pattern in the most recent three competitive matches is the lack of goals after halftime: In each of these three matches, fewer than two goals were scored after halftime, which somewhat tempers expectations of a late, high-scoring spectacle. Overall, the head-to-head record remains too even to allow for a clear prediction based solely on H2H.
Gladbach – St. Pauli Head-to-Head & Statistics
St. Pauli’s 0-0 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt is a result that looks flattering on paper but hardly does the team justice. Pereira Lage and Sinani each hit the post, while goalkeeper Vasilj remained focused. Blessin’s team showed discipline and defensive organization. Prior to this, St. Pauli had secured two consecutive wins (1-0 at Hoffenheim, 2-1 against Werder Bremen), demonstrating that the squad can handle the relegation battle. The 4-0 loss at Bayer Leverkusen remains a one-off slip-up against the league leaders and says little about the team’s actual level.
