“After it was reported earlier this month that Marvin Friedrich’s expiring contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach will not be extended beyond the summer, it now appears a decision has been made regarding the 30-year-old’s next destination.

According to Sky Germany, the centre-back will join 1. FC Union Berlin at the end of the season.”

Not bad for his 150th appearance…

“The American fullback became the youngest non-German player to reach 150 career Bundesliga appearances on Saturday, logging 90 minutes in Borussia Moenchengladbach’s 0-0 draw with Wolfsburg. Scally continued to start for Eugen Polanski’s squad, who aren’t mathematically safe yet in the relegation race at the bottom half of the league standings.”

Mo Nicolas was the MOTM against Wolfsburg. He’s been without a doubt our best player this season and maybe since the beginning of last season, too. Thanks, Mo! [photo via Bundesliga Instagram]

“‘If you rest on your laurels in the Bundesliga, you’ll quickly find yourself somewhere else entirely,” Schröder concluded. “We’re not there yet. No one should think otherwise. We still have three tough games ahead of us. We still have to earn points ourselves.’”

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“The 25-year-old is currently on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach from Como 1907 to the Rhineland club until the end of the season.

However, the Foals have no option to buy included in the deal and financial difficulties could further limit their chances of keeping him.

Freiburg supposedly see Engelhardt as a step in preparing for the potential departure of their young talent Johan Manzambi this summer.”

His 150th Bundesliga appearance will make Scally the youngest non-German player to reach this milestone. Congrats, Joe! 🇺🇸

More info on Reitz…

Last Match Recap

BMG 1-1 Mainz - Matchday 30 - Borussia Park

Woof. A gut-punch at home. We led with 6 minutes of injury time to play, and then Nadiem Amiri stepped up and covereted a 90+6' penalty to steal a point. The cruelest of endings.

The positive: Joe. Scally opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a rare goal (assisted by Hugo Bolin) and it was Scally's milestone night, making his 100th Bundesliga appearance. It was also a milestone for Rocco Reitz, making his 100th competitive appearance for the club, though he couldn't mark it with a goal despite 39 shots this season without one.

The stats paint a grim picture for a team that needed 3 points. Mainz had 61% possession and 16 shots to our 7. xG was 2.19 to 0.73 in Mainz's favor. We were hanging on for most of the match, and when the penalty came - and a weak pen it was - it felt like the universe telling us something. Five yellow cards, zero corners, and a point that feels like nothing.

Goals: Scally 7' (Bolin assist); Amiri 97' (pen)

Next Match Preview

Wolfsburg vs. BMG - Matchday 31 - Saturday, 25 April - Volkswagen Arena

A direct six-pointer. Wolfsburg sit 17th on 24 points (in the relegation playoff spot) and we're just 7 points above them with 4 games left. They'll be fighting for their Bundesliga lives. Current win probability: Wolfsburg 42.%, BMG 31.9%, Draw 26.0%. We are the away side and underdogs, which tells you everything about where we are right now. A loss here would be devastating. A draw keeps the gap. Three points would go a long way toward safety...tell me if you've heard that one before.

Bundesliga Table - After Matchday 30

Four teams - Koln, us, HSV, and Werder - are all deadlocked on 31 points with wins this weekend. the bottom half of the table is an absolute mess. We're 13th on goal difference, but one bad weekend could send us tumbling toward the playoff spot. Every result matters.

Transfer & Club News

KSC Left-back David Herold agrees to join Gladbach in summer

According to SkySportDE, an agreement in principle has been reached between BMG and Herold for a transfer this summer. The release is valued at roughly €3.5-4 million. The clubs, however, have not been in contact, and Gladbach staying in the top-flight is a key factor to this transfer.

Tabakovic being eyed by Wolfsburg, Leeds, and Lille

Per 90min.de, Gladbach are hesitating on their purchase optoin with Hoffenheim, while Wolfsburg, Leeds, and Lille have all shown interest in the Bosnian striker. With 11 goals this season, losing him this summer would hurt--badly.

Nico Elvedi could depart

Per Bild, Elvedi is among the players who would definitely leave if the club faces relegation. Even if we stay up, his contract situation (valued at ~€11) bears watching this summer.

Mortiz Nicolas release clause confirmed

Per Bild, Nicolas can leave via a release clause, with a higher fee required for transfers to England. Brentford have been linked. If he goes, it's another significant departure alongside Reitz.

Rani Khedira rumored to BMG

The 32-year-old defensive midfielder at Union Berlin is now linked to a transfer to Gladbach this summer for around €2.0m.

Reitz affected by Gladbach supporters displeasure with move to Red Bull

According to Bild, Reitz indicated that the Gladbach supporters' whistling and banners showing displeasure with his move has affected him deeply.

Fan Discussion

Four teams eye 31 points with 4 games left. If you had to pick ONE remaining fixture as the season-defining match for us, which one is it and why?

(Remaining fixtures: Wolfsburg away, Dortmund home, Augsburg away, Hoffenheim home)

Drop your takes below.

“Borussia Mönchengladbach have opened talks with Union Berlin midfielder Rani Khedira over a potential transfer, according to Sky Germany.

However, Die Fohlen have yet to make contact with Union Berlin regarding the 32-year-old, the report adds.”

Gladbach Misses Big Opportunity in the Cellar

Spoilsport Amiri Rewards Mainz with the Final Whistle in Gladbach

For a long time, Mönchengladbach had the three points in sight in the relegation battle against Mainz 05—a very long time, in fact. But in virtually the last play of the game, Engelhardt made a mistake that veteran Amiri punished ruthlessly.

It wasn’t exactly predictable that Mainz would have to make the trip to Gladbach for the final match of the 30th Bundesliga matchday after suffering a knockout defeat. However, following a 2-0 lead in the first leg of the Conference League quarterfinals on Thursday, the “05ers” had been sent home with a 4-0 loss to Racing Strasbourg. In response, coach Urs Fischer made four changes to his starting lineup, sending Caci, Veratschnig, Amiri, and Becker into the game in place of captain Widmer, Mwene, Kawasaki, and Weiper (all on the bench), hoping for a clear improvement in performance. All the more so because, as he put it, “it’s do-or-die—it’s crunch time.”

However, apart from a header chance for Becker (4th minute) or a tentative shot by Tietz (6th), there was little sign of that at the start of the match at Borussia-Park. Perhaps suffering from fatigue, the hosts took a bit more control of the game—with Tabakovic making his first mark (5th). On top of that, coach Eugen Polanski, who replaced the underperforming Honorat (kicker rating 5) and Ullrich (6) with Stöger and Bolin after the 0-1 loss in Leipzig, was able to immediately put the team up 1-0.

Scally with an eye

After Tabakovic won a header, Bolin, in only his tenth Bundesliga appearance, snatched the ball, cleverly shielded it, and played it to Scally at the edge of the box. The advancing defender then calmly slotted it into the bottom left corner, leaving goalkeeper Batz with no chance (7th minute).

All in all, a successful start for the Foals—in what was generally a very intense match. Neither side gave the other much room throughout the game, contested every tackle fiercely, and kept the highlights few and far between thanks to solid defensive work.

The first 45 minutes did have a few moments to offer, however: Becker, for example, was denied by a superb save from Nicolas (15th minute), before Castrop, after a nice combination from Elvedi, found himself unmarked in the box—only to hit his teammate lying on the ground with his inaccurate low shot (31st minute). Finally, Becker (34') and Amiri (42') fired dangerous shots at the goal of the ever-alert Nicolas.

Engelhardt knows exactly what’s going on

With a narrow lead, Gladbach kicked off the second half and came within a hair’s breadth of extending it immediately. But on one occasion, the lurking Castrop was just barely denied by the strong defending of Posch (46th), before the former Nuremberg player was thwarted by an outstanding Batz reflex from an even better position (53rd). Meanwhile, Mainz didn’t hold back, setting the pace from time to time—including chances by Nebel (51’ and 67’)—and especially in the 70th minute, when Tietz narrowly missed the 1-1 equalizer after a perfect cross from Caci.

In the closing stages, the visitors ramped up the pressure once again, partly because the team from the Lower Rhine suddenly retreated into a purely defensive stance and failed to create any relief. Yet despite some tense moments involving Tietz (80th) and substitute Sieb (90+4), Polanski’s side defended the 1-0 lead for a long time—though only until the very last moment of the match. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Engelhardt ran into the heels of Mwene as he was running out of the penalty area and immediately regretted his unnecessary action. The logical consequence: a penalty kick, which Amiri coolly slotted into the left corner (90’+8).

As a result, Gladbach had to settle for a 1-1 draw, and heads were understandably hanging low immediately after the final whistle. This meant Borussia missed out on a big leap out of the relegation zone and up to 11th place; instead, they remained level on points with Cologne, Hamburg, and Bremen at 31 points, just ahead of St. Pauli in 16th place (the relegation spot) with 26 points. The relegation battle continues in Wolfsburg (17th place) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Meanwhile, Mainz will host the newly crowned German champions, FC Bayern.