VfL Wolfsburg played host to Borussia Mönchengladbach on a sunny, 14-degree Saturday afternoon at Volkswagen Arena.
Wolfsburg entered this match in the relegation zone, seventeenth with a 6-6-18 record and 24 points. As for the visiting Gladbach, they walked into this match thirteenth in the table with a 7-10-13 record and 31 points.
For Polish-born Gladbach coach Eugen Polański, this was an opportunity to get his first victory against the Niedersachsen club in his professional coaching career - as the reverse fixture at Borussia-Park ended in a 3-1 victory for the visiting Wölfe. It was also an opportunity to end a nine-match winless streak (0-3-6), the longest for Gladbach since a ten-match streak in April 2024 that happened to end with a win in Wolfsburg (3-1).
As for Wolfsburg boss Dieter Hecking, this was his first opportunity in his second spell as coach to face the team that he both played for (1983 - 1985) and coached previously (2016 - 2019). When asked about that and the situation that Gladbach are currently in, he said in a press conference on Thursday: “I feel as sorry as you would for Borussia - at the same time, this is a must win for us, we want to win, and then it does not matter anymore; and I still wish that they manage to stay in the Bundesliga … that would be my preference, and that we manage to stay up as well.”
This was a must-win situation for Wolfsburg, as a loss and an FC St. Pauli victory against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 would mean that Wolfsburg could be relegated as early as next Sunday with a loss in Freiburg and another St. Pauli win against 1. FSV Mainz 05. As for Gladbach, a win would put them one point away from confirming their place in the 2026/27 Bundesliga season.
Gladbach kicked off the match, and nearly managed to open the scoring within the first 20 seconds - Kevin Stöger brought down a header from Haris Tabaković at the edge of the area, and hammered a shot just wide of Kamil Grabara and the bottom-right corner. Franck Honorat then followed with a chance of his own from the left side of the box, denied by the left leg of the Polish keeper; however, the Frenchman was offside in the buildup.
Two minutes later, Christian Eriksen would spring Mohamed Amoura into an onside run on the left side of the Gladbach half with a long ball. Nico Elvedi was the only man present to clear it; with a sliding tackle, he knocked the ball off Amoura and out of play for a goal kick to Moritz Nicolas.
Tabaković would counter with another decent chance for the visitors in the sixth minute. Receiving a short pass from Jens Castrop, the Swiss-born Bosnian international darted into the left side of the box and attempted a shot towards the top-left corner, but Dženan Pejčinović ran in front of it and blocked it with his body for a corner to the visitors.
Honorat would follow with another chance of his own from a similar spot on the left side of the Wolfsburg penalty area, but Grabara stepped out of his goal to punch it away from danger. In the fourteenth minute, Honorat would find Joe Scally on the right side of the Wolfsburg third - the American international would deliver a hard far-post cross, but Jeanuël Belocian would send the ball away from danger with a headed clearance for an eventually unsuccessful corner to the visitors.
Wolfsburg would land their first shot on target in the sixteenth minute, as a long ball from Aaron Zehnter was headed in the middle of the ground by Pejčinović. That header would allow the ball to land in front of Amoura, who sprinted into the left side of the Gladbach box before powering a bottom-left corner attempt. Fabio Chiarodia was unable to make a direct interception despite getting his body in the way, but Nicolas went down to paw it away for a corner to the hosts.
Two minutes later, Scally would weave his way around Belocian and Vavro on the right side of the box before sending a shot of his own at the Wolfsburg goal; Grabara met it with both hands and punched it to the edge of the area on the left side, but it landed to Castrop, who immediately sent another attempt wide of the bottom-right corner and out of play.
In the twenty-second minute, Honorat entered the right side of the Wolfsburg half before receiving a ground pass from Rocco Reitz. Honorat beat out Vavro to possession of the ball before sending a low pass of his own towards the goalmouth; however, Grabara would read the play well and gloved the ball down with both hands before Tabaković could run into the open space.
Right before the half-hour mark, Tabaković would power a shot from distance, curling towards the bottom-right corner - Grabara went down to meet it, sending it away for a corner to the visitors. The unsuccessful set piece eventually led to a Wolfsburg counterattack, in which Patrick Wimmer went down on the right side of the box - mainly by his own will, however, as head official Tobias Stieler saw minimal contact between him and Castrop.
Tabaković would get another dangerous chance in the thirty-fifth minute, finding space between Vavro and Joakim Mæhle in the centre of the box before blasting the attempt well over the bar. With six minutes left in the first half, Eriksen set up Pejčinović for another Wolfsburg opportunity, but the 21-year-old German youth international could only lightly tap the ball while under pressure from Philipp Sander - eventually denied by a low-to-the-ground Nicolas.
In the forty-second minute, Mæhle would receive a pass from Amoura on the right side of the Gladbach penalty area, but Sander would make a sliding tackle to send the ball away before the Danish international could get it off the ground. Shortly after, Mæhle and Amoura would combine once again, as a long ball from the Dane met the Algerian international for another onside run. Amoura broke free of Elvedi, sprinting towards the centre of the box before launching a curling shot just a few centimetres away from the bottom-right corner.
That was the last major moment of the first half, as Wolfsburg and St. Pauli ended the first half without an opener. Shots in the first 45 were 7-3 to Gladbach, 3-2 on target with 61 % possession and an 85 % pass accuracy for Die Fohlen on 264 passes, compared to 75 % on 168 for Wolfsburg.
The second half was definitely quieter than the first - both sides started to look fatigued, especially because there were no changes made from either coach until the seventieth minute. The first chance of the second half went to Wolfsburg after a minute and a half, as Wimmer would deliver a cross into the centre of the box. After taking a deflection off Elvedi, it landed into open space; Zehnter and Amoura both had intentions to go after it, with the 21-year-old German left wing-back running up for a hard shot - however, Amoura got there first, and his low attempt was easily stopped by Nicolas.
In the fifty-third minute, Rocco Reitz would nearly set up a dangerous chance for the visitors, flicking the ball to the centre of the box. Honorat was not too far away from the ball, and tried to lunge to reach it - but Mæhle got there first and made a long clearance into the centre of the ground.
There was very little action for the next 20 minutes, but the substitution of Aaron Zehnter for Saël Kumbedi seemed to make an impact for the hosts. Kumbedi, with pace on the right side of the Gladbach half, deflected the ball off the legs of Elvedi and out for a corner to the hosts. Wolfsburg would win another corner after that; Eriksen’s near-post delivery was then headed by Koulierakis, but the Greek international would deflect the ball just wide of the bottom-right corner.
Kumbedi would be involved in another decent scoring opportunity in the seventy-seventh minute, receiving a long cross from Adam Daghim - the latter having entered the match for Amoura. Despite being behind Castrop, Kumbedi would still get his right boot on the ball, but sent it over the bar and into the hosts’ supporter section.