Gladbach, 0 points from 5, lose captain Kleindienst again before Hoffenheim

By the Data Desk · Published 17 OCT 08:30

Gladbach's captain was meant to be the man who led them out of the bottom of the table, and on Friday his coach had to explain that the injury is a new one. "Tim hat einen weiteren Muskelfaserriss, an anderer Stelle," Alexander Blessin said: another muscle tear, in a different place, so Tim Kleindienst is out for several weeks, gladbachlive reports, two days before the bottom two meet at Borussia-Park.

• Gladbach are 18th with no points from five Bundesliga games, seven goals scored and 18 conceded.
• Centre-back Jan Leszczynski, 19, has a torn meniscus and could be out for two months to half a year, according to Bild.
• Hoffenheim are 17th on 3 points and have lost six of their last seven competitive games, four of them 2-3.

Blessin did not dress it up. "Das heißt, es ist auch da wieder etwas Neues," he said of Kleindienst at Friday's press conference, as quoted by gladbachlive, and he gave no date beyond several weeks. The 31-year-old striker already missed last Sunday's derby. Nicolas Kühn is still doubtful, with Blessin saying he should be available "spätestens nächste Woche" at the latest, and Bild reports Leszczynski hurt his knee in the derby, where he started.

That derby was Blessin's first game in charge, and it ended 2-1 to Köln, with Said El Mala scoring the winner on 67 minutes. "Es stinkt mir, dass wir das verloren haben. Es war nicht nötig," Blessin said on Friday, and he also left Kevin Stöger, 33 and not injured, out of the squad in Köln. "Mathieu Nguefack hat mir einfach gefallen," he explained on Wednesday, quoted by Ligainsider: he chose Nguefack rather than deciding against Stöger.

Hoffenheim arrive in no better mood. They lost 2-3 to Beşiktaş in the Europa League on Thursday, after 2-3 defeats to Köln, Borussia Dortmund and Hamburg in the league. "Es nervt, das vierte Spiel 2:3 zu verlieren," Christian Ilzer told Sky Sport Austria. "Das ist kein Zufall, wenn es in dieser Häufigkeit passiert." Their only league win came against Stuttgart, 2-1.

The numbers point in one direction. Hoffenheim have scored nine Bundesliga goals in five games, and Gladbach have conceded at least three in four of their five. Gladbach can score at home too: they put three past Elversberg and Mainz at Borussia-Park and still lost both 3-4. What happens next: Borussia Mönchengladbach v Hoffenheim on Sunday, 18 October, at 17:30 CEST.