RB Leipzig - Borussia Mönchengladbach: guide to the opening of the Bundesliga season in Leipzig
The new Bundesliga season for RB Leipzig and Borussia Mönchengladbach begins with a head-to-head meeting at the Red Bull Arena on August 29 at 15:30, and the starting positions of the two clubs are quite different. Leipzig finished last season in third place with 65 points, while Gladbach were 12th with 38. For the hosts, this is the beginning of a season in which they want to confirm their return to the top, while the visitors are looking for proof that the summer reconstruction can bring a calmer year.
The match will be played at the Red Bull Arena, a stadium with a capacity of 47,800 spectators for domestic competitions. The most recent meeting at the same venue ended in a 1:0 victory for Leipzig, and the hosts have still not lost in ten Bundesliga matches against Gladbach in Leipzig.
Tickets for this match are in demand among supporters.
Leipzig begins a new era with Martín Demichelis
The hosts' biggest change is on the touchline. Martín Demichelis took over the team after Ole Werner, even though Leipzig finished third under Werner. The Argentine won the championship with River Plate during his coaching career, and he now takes charge of a team with plenty of pace on the flanks, but without the player who most often broke down defenses with individual moves last season.
Yan Diomande left for Real Madrid after a season in which he recorded 12 goals and eight assists in 33 Bundesliga appearances. In all competitions, he finished with 13 goals and ten assists. His departure is particularly interesting in the context of this matchup: Diomande scored the only goal in the most recent meeting between Leipzig and Gladbach.
Christoph Baumgartner, Leipzig's top league scorer last season with 13 goals and eight assists, is still working on his return after a serious hamstring injury. Assan Ouédraogo is also unavailable after injuring his right shoulder. Leipzig therefore have to redistribute a large part of last season's attacking production at the start of the campaign.
In a strong pre-season test against Bayern München, which Leipzig lost 3:1, Demichelis used a back four and three players up front. David Raum and Ridle Baku provided width, while Brajan Gruda scored to make it temporarily 1:1. Johan Bakayoko hit the frame of the goal after the break.
Without Diomande and Baumgartner, the hosts will look more for combinations through Nusa, Gruda and Bakayoko, along with overlapping runs from the full-backs. Raum can have an important role here because his forward runs force the opposing winger deep toward his own goal.
Rocco Reitz immediately faces the club where he grew up
The most interesting personal story of the match is Rocco Reitz. The midfielder had been in Gladbach's system since the age of seven, progressed through the youth categories and reached the first team. Leipzig signed him on a contract until 2031, and his first Bundesliga appearance for his new club could come precisely against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Reitz's summer program was not normal. A serious infection at the end of last season slowed his preparations, so he only played his first minutes for Leipzig in mid-August. Against Bayern München, he came on after the break and played for roughly half an hour. Because of that, it is uncertain whether he will immediately be ready for a full workload against his former club, but his energy without the ball and his knowledge of Gladbach's midfield can be important even if he comes off the bench.
Gladbach lost Reitz during the summer, while Jens Castrop, who was planned as an important figure in midfield, injured his shoulder in a pre-season match and had to undergo surgery after further examinations. Polanski has therefore already lost, before the first round, a player who was supposed to bring dynamism to the center of the pitch.
Gladbach arrives with a dangerous Kleindienst again
Tim Kleindienst endured a very difficult 2025/26 season because of a knee injury and appeared in only three Bundesliga matches, but he retained the captain's armband. His pre-season form is therefore one of the most important pieces of news for the visitors.
In their final major test, Borussia Mönchengladbach defeated Aston Villa 2:1 in front of 50,148 spectators at Borussia-Park. Kleindienst scored both goals within a few minutes - the first from close range, the second with a header after a corner. For a team that scored 42 Bundesliga goals last season, the return of a striker who can finish both low cut-backs and high crosses changes the way opponents have to defend the penalty area.
Against Aston Villa, Polanski played with a back four, Philipp Sander and Kevin Stöger in midfield, and Franck Honorat, Hugo Bolin and Robin Hack behind Kleindienst. The logic is clear: Kleindienst occupies the center-backs, the wingers attack the space around him, and Stöger looks for the vertical pass.
Leipzig therefore cannot afford to allow too many uncontested crosses. Willi Orbán is important because of his aerial play, but the home full-backs will have to track the runs of Honorat and Hack. If Leipzig lose the ball with both wide defenders high up the pitch, Gladbach can quickly look for Kleindienst.
Absences that change the initial plans
Both teams enter the season with important squad problems, and at Gladbach the situation changed further with Nico Elvedi's departure for Leeds United. Elvedi left the club after more than a decade and 318 Bundesliga appearances, so Polanski no longer has a center-back who had been a constant in the back line for years.
The most important confirmed circumstances ahead of the start of the season are:
- RB Leipzig - Christoph Baumgartner is undergoing rehabilitation after a serious hamstring injury.
- RB Leipzig - Assan Ouédraogo injured his right shoulder and the club confirmed that he will be out for several weeks.
- Borussia Mönchengladbach - Jens Castrop dislocated his shoulder, had to undergo surgery and faces a break of several months.
- Borussia Mönchengladbach - Fabio Chiarodia and Yukhym Konoplya were out of the squad during pre-season because of injuries.
- Borussia Mönchengladbach - Nico Elvedi is no longer an option after his transfer to Leeds United.
For Leipzig, these absences mostly affect creativity and finishing from deeper positions. For Gladbach, the greater blow is in midfield and the back line. Bench depth could therefore carry more weight than is usual for the opening round.
The head-to-head record gives Leipzig reason for confidence
In 20 Bundesliga meetings, Leipzig have 11 victories, Gladbach four, while five matches ended without a winner. Even more important for the Red Bull Arena is this statistic: in ten home league matches against Gladbach, Leipzig have six victories and four draws, without a defeat.
The last five league meetings:
- RB Leipzig - Borussia Mönchengladbach 1:0, April 2026.
- Borussia Mönchengladbach - RB Leipzig 0:0, November 2025.
- Borussia Mönchengladbach - RB Leipzig 1:0, March 2025.
- RB Leipzig - Borussia Mönchengladbach 0:0, November 2024.
- RB Leipzig - Borussia Mönchengladbach 2:0, February 2024.
Those five matches produced only four goals. Two ended 0:0, and none had more than two goals. That does not mean the pattern has to repeat itself, but it explains why the first goal could have major tactical value. If Leipzig score it, they can open up space for Nusa, Gruda and Bakayoko in transition. If Gladbach score first, Polanski can drop the block and force the hosts into positional attacks without several of last season's best scorers.
The final test before the league campaign
Leipzig won their first three pre-season matches and then lost 2:0 to Leeds United and 3:1 to Bayern München. Gladbach put together a series of pre-season victories and won their final test against Aston Villa 2:1.
Before the Bundesliga meeting, both teams also have cup commitments: Leipzig visit Eintracht Trier on August 22, while Gladbach play TSV Schott Mainz on August 23. Those matches could change the assessment of form and player availability.
What can decide the match tactically
The most interesting duel could be on the flanks. Leipzig have enough pace to stretch Gladbach's back four, but without Diomande they must find a new balance between dribbling and the final pass. Nusa can attack one-on-one, Gruda can move inside, while Raum and Baku can create overloads on the outside.
Gladbach have a very clear objective when they win the ball: find Kleindienst early and with quality. He can hold up the ball with his back to goal, create space for Hack and Honorat or attack a cross. Stöger is particularly important because he has the quality to break pressing with a single vertical pass.
Midfield will be a test for both new setups. Leipzig have to compensate for the absence of Baumgartner and Ouédraogo, while Gladbach must compensate for Reitz and Castrop. Nicolas Seiwald, Ezechiel Banzuzi and possibly Reitz can give the hosts physical control, while Polanski will demand security on the ball from Sander and Stöger.
Set pieces also carry weight. Kleindienst already showed against Aston Villa how dangerous he is with his head after a corner. Leipzig have a strong aerial defender in Orbán, but every unnecessary foul or corner can offer Gladbach the shortest route to goal.
Red Bull Arena and the atmosphere at the season opener
The Red Bull Arena is located within the old Zentralstadion complex, close to the center of Leipzig. Today's arena opened in 2004 and, after modernizations, holds 47,800 spectators for domestic competitions. Leipzig's most recent home meeting with Gladbach in April was sold out with 47,800 spectators.
The stadium was built within the embankments of the old Zentralstadion, so the approach to the stands across bridges gives the venue a distinctive appearance.
The season opener, a new coach for the hosts and Reitz's meeting with his former club give the match an additional emotional dimension. Gladbach supporters arrive with reason for optimism after good pre-season results and Kleindienst's return, while the home crowd will see for the first time in the league how Demichelis will distribute responsibility after Diomande's departure.
Seats in the stands are disappearing quickly.
How to get to the stadium and what to plan
The Red Bull Arena is located at Am Sportforum 3, 04105 Leipzig. The location is close enough to the city center that public transport is more practical than trying to arrive by car directly at the stadium. On matchdays, the club recommends public transport and warns that there may be traffic restrictions around the stadium.
- Leipzig Hauptbahnhof and the city center are connected by tram with the Sportforum area.
- From the Sportforum stop, the entrances are a short walk through the sports complex.
- Parking areas are available around Sportforum, but availability and traffic arrangements change on matchdays.
- The club recommends arriving with time to spare because of possible road closures and checks at the entrances.
- Bags larger than A4 format are not permitted under the current stadium instructions.
The exact opening time of the entrances for this match had not been confirmed in the information available one week before the match, so it should be checked in the current information for the home match that the club publishes shortly before the event.
For travelers arriving by train, it is practical to continue from the city center by tram toward Sportforum and avoid traffic pressure around the stadium.
It is worth securing tickets in time.
What to watch especially from the stands
Leipzig have changed coach and lost Diomande, while Gladbach lost Elvedi and Reitz, but once again have a healthy Kleindienst.
It is particularly worth watching Leipzig's left side with Raum and Nusa, Gladbach's quick balls toward Kleindienst, and Reitz's role if he is ready. His first league appearance in his new shirt against the club where he spent almost his entire football development would be one of the most emotionally powerful moments of the opening round.
Sources:
- Bundesliga.com - match schedule, head-to-head record, squads for the 2026/27 season, coaching changes, transfers and current injuries.
- DFB Datencenter - final Bundesliga table for 2025/26, head-to-head results and squads of both clubs.
- Bundesliga.com - overview of both clubs' pre-season matches and report on Bayern München - RB Leipzig.
- WDR/Sportschau - report on Borussia Mönchengladbach - Aston Villa 2:1 and Tim Kleindienst's two goals.
- RB Leipzig - information about Rocco Reitz's return after illness and stadium rules for arrival.
- Bundesliga.com and Sportforum Leipzig - capacity, history and basic information about the Red Bull Arena.
- DFB - schedule for the first round of the domestic cup before the start of the Bundesliga.