Borussia Monchengladbach vs Mainz 05 - prediction, team news, lineups

By Anthony Nolan | 18 Sep 2026 02:11, Last updated: 18 Sep 2026 05:25

Managerless Borussia Monchengladbach will welcome Mainz 05 to Borussia-Park on Saturday, desperate for their first Bundesliga points of the season.

Die Fohlen are looking to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat, while Die Nullfunfer are hoping to bounce back after losing last time out.

Gladbach became the first Bundesliga club to sack their manager on Sunday, when they dismissed Eugen Polanski after a dire beginning to the 2026-27 campaign.

As a result, former Mainz coach Jan-Moritz Lichte will prepare the team to face his former employers, with a successor set to be appointed during the international break.

Polanski left Die Fohlen second-from-bottom in the Bundesliga table without a single point to their name, having conceded 12 goals while scoring just three after only three matches.

That poor run began with a 3-0 defeat against RB Leipzig, an acceptable loss on paper considering the opposition, but when Gladbach were beaten 4-3 by promoted side Elversberg on September 5, alarm bells were ringing.

A 5-0 demolition by Freiburg followed a week later, marking a disappointing end to Polanski's time at Borussia-Park - a shock given that Die Fohlen enjoyed an excellent pre-season, even downing Aston Villa 2-1 in August.

Desperate to prevent another humiliating thrashing on Saturday, the hosts will look to draw on the power of their home ground, where they went undefeated across their final seven fixtures last term, winning four and drawing three.

Meanwhile, Urs Fischer's Mainz have enjoyed a contrastingly commendable start to the season, but will be hoping to get back on track after stumbling last time out.

Die Nullfunfer hammered Krieshchow 9-0 in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on August 23, setting the tone as they went on to keep consecutive clean sheets in their opening two league matches.

Fischer's men thrashed Hamburger SV 5-0 on September 6, an impressive performance that showcased the attacking talent available to the manager, considering that four different scorers found the back of the net.

However, Mainz's defensive discipline and offensive firepower was nowhere to be seen last time out as they fell to a 3-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt, going 3-0 down before bagging a late consolation through Phillip Tietz.

Aiming to find their feet and prove that loss was a one-off, Die Nullfunfer will take heart from the fact they are unbeaten in their last eight away games in domestic competition, a stretch that includes six wins and two draws. 

Borussia Monchengladbach Bundesliga form:

Borussia Monchengladbach form (all competitions):

Gladbach's injury woes are compounded this weekend by the suspension that striker Tim Kleindienst picked up after being sent off against Freiburg, his ill-discipline seeing him sidelined alongside right winger Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn, who is dealing with a muscle injury.

In their absence, Isac Lidberg looks set to lead the line on Saturday, supported from out wide by Franck Honorat and Wael Mohya, with Hugo Bolin expected to start in the number 10 role despite a minor muscle issue that caused him to miss training earlier in the week.

Zento Uno is also unavailable due to a muscle issue of his own, as is fellow midfielder Enzo Leopold, who is working his way back from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, though Kevin Stoger and Philipp Sander should be on hand to form the hosts' double pivot.

Elsewhere, Die Fohlen are without a number of defenders, including centre-back Daiki Hashioka (back), right-back Yukhym Konoplya (knee) and left wing-back Jens Castrop (shoulder).

With that in mind, Ko Itakura and Kevin Diks may start at centre-half, flanked by full-backs Joseph Scally and Lukas Ullrich.

As for Mainz, they are missing centre-back Dominik Kohr (ankle) and right wing-back Silvan Widmer (knee), as well as midfielders Eric Martel (knee) and Paul Nebel (groin).

That being said, Kaishu Sano, Lee Jae-sung and Nadiem Amiri will be ready to start in the middle third, just ahead of defenders Stefan Posch, Fabio Gruber and Kacper Potulski.

At the opposite end of the pitch, striker Silas remains sidelined with a broken ankle, and Sheraldo Becker should start alongside Phillip Tietz in a partnership up top.

Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:

Nicolas; Scally, Diks, Itakura, Ullrich; Stoger, Sander; Honorat, Bolin, Mohya; Lidberg

Schwolow; Gruber, Potulski, Posch; Caci, Sano, Mwene; Amiri, Lee; Becker, Tietz

Gladbach have struggled throughout the opening to the season, and after blanking twice already, it would not be surprising to see them come up short once again.

Mainz may have been beaten last time out, but they will see this clash against one of the Bundesliga's weakest sides as a golden opportunity to get back on track.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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