Stuttgart vs Borussia Mönchengladbach Prediction: Hoeneß Side to Dominate Winless Gladbach

VfB Stuttgart welcome Borussia Mönchengladbach to the MHPArena on 23 October 2026, a Bundesliga Matchday 7 encounter that pits mid table inconsistency against something approaching outright crisis. Stuttgart sit 13th with six points from six games, whereas Gladbach are rooted to the bottom with zero points from six defeats, 20 goals already conceded and what their own supporters will recognise as the worst start in the club's history. Stuttgart, for all their patchy Bundesliga results, come in off the back of a 1-1 Champions League draw with Atlético Madrid and a win here would lift them as high as ninth given the congested standings, with the fortnight international break then offering a useful reset before their next fixture.

Sebastian Hoeneß and Alexander Blessin have never met as managers. Hoeneß has been at Stuttgart since 3 April 2023 when he replaced Bruno Labbadia, while Blessin only took over at Gladbach on 22 September 2026 following the sacking of Eugen Polanski after a 4-3 loss to Mainz, with Jan-Moritz Lichte having served a brief interim stint between the two.

Stuttgart's last five Bundesliga matches read W-L-L-W-L, including a 0-1 home defeat to Hamburger SV on 18 October 2026, whereas Gladbach's corresponding run is simply L-L-L-L-L, leaving them without a single point and sitting on a goal difference of minus twelve.

Stuttgart are without Tiago Tomás (muscle injury), Josha Vagnoman (injury) and Maximilian Mittelstädt (heel laceration), a trio whose absences strip width and experience from both flanks and the forward line. Gladbach are no better off: Ko Itakura is out with a hamstring problem, Tim Kleindienst sidelined by a thigh issue and Enzo Leopold still unavailable after ACL surgery. Without Itakura, Blessin loses his most reliable defensive organiser and primary ball playing centre back, without Kleindienst, they lose the only striker capable of holding up play and winning aerial duels, and without Leopold, there is no covering midfielder who can patch the back line, leaving a squad that was already thin looking genuinely skeletal.

Hoeneß typically deploys a flexible 4-2-3-1 or back three setup built around aggressive wing backs, looking to combine wide superiority with central build up through Angelo Stiller. With Mittelstädt and Vagnoman both out, the wing back roles fall to less established options, pushing more of the creative burden onto Stiller in the middle. That matters against a Gladbach side that has conceded 20 goals in six games, roughly 3.3 per match regardless of defensive shape. Deniz Undav, operating as captain and attacking hub, carries much of Stuttgart's creative responsibility alongside Stiller, though the pair will have to do without the width that Mittelstädt and Vagnoman would normally provide.

Blessin has tried to make Gladbach harder to beat since arriving, though the numbers suggest he has not managed it yet. Florian Neuhaus sits at the midfield base, tasked with shielding a back line that has looked porous all season, while Joseph Scally operates on the right and tracks runners well enough to keep Stuttgart's wide options honest. Hugo Bolin leads the line from a depleted forward pool. The structural problem is that Itakura's absence removes the organiser behind Neuhaus, Kleindienst's absence takes away the only forward capable of relieving pressure by winning the ball in the final third and Leopold's unavailability leaves no natural defensive cover from midfield. Stuttgart's width, even at reduced quality, should comfortably exploit the space at full back and Stiller's progressive passing is well suited to picking out runners into those areas. Undav versus Neuhaus is the individual battle that matters most: if Undav can drop deep to receive and turn, Stuttgart's attacking rhythm accelerates. Any turnovers could allow Neuhaus to spring counters, though with Bolin as the lone outlet and Kleindienst absent, Gladbach have nobody to sustain that threat.

Stuttgart have won four of the last five Bundesliga meetings between the sides, including a 3-0 victory away in January 2026 and a 1-0 home win in August 2025. Their set piece routines have grown more varied under Hoeneß, often using short corner combinations designed to create second phase chances. With Mittelstädt unavailable, delivery from wide areas may shift toward Stiller or Undav, which could reduce the quality of first phase crosses while adding central creativity. Gladbach have shipped multiple goals from dead ball situations this season and show little sign of that improving by Saturday.

Stuttgart win 3-0. With Kleindienst and Itakura absent, Gladbach can neither defend their box nor relieve pressure from the front, meaning Stuttgart should be able to sustain periods of dominance without needing a particularly inspired performance. Honestly, the three goal margin could end up being conservative.