Gladbach captain Tim Kleindienst makes first start in 14 months in 2-1 friendly win over Essen

Published Jul 26, 02:29 PM UTC

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Borussia Mönchengladbach captain Tim Kleindienst made his first starting appearance in over 14 months during a pre-season friendly against third-division side Rot-Weiß Essen on July 25, 2026. The 2-1 victory in front of 8,821 spectators marked a significant milestone for Kleindienst, who had been sidelined since a knee injury requiring two operations. He played 33 minutes before being replaced by new signing Isac Lidberg as planned. Kleindienst nearly assisted a goal in the 32nd minute, but the effort was ruled offside. Hugo Bolin and Wael Mohya scored for Gladbach, while Edin Biber scored an own goal. The match also saw Ukrainian new signing Yukhym Konoplia limp off after just 12 minutes due to a knee injury following a heavy challenge. Gladbach's competitive season begins August 23 in the DFB-Pokal against Schott Mainz, followed by a Bundesliga opener at RB Leipzig on August 29.

Source report

After a 6-0 win over Oberliga side Wuppertaler SV, Borussia Mönchengladbach played their second pre-season test on Saturday. Facing third-division side Rot-Weiß Essen, the team of coach Eugen Polanski secured a 2-1 victory in front of 8,821 spectators.

For Tim Kleindienst, it was a special match. His last start for the Foals came over 14 months ago in the Bundesliga — a 2-0 loss at Bayern Munich. A knee injury requiring two operations sidelined the Borussia captain afterwards, and in the last Bundesliga season he only made three brief substitute appearances.

Match Highlights

In Essen, Kleindienst was finally back on the pitch from the kickoff. After 32 minutes, he almost set up the Foals' lead: following a cross from Honorat, he headed the ball to Lukas Ullrich, who found the net — but the goal didn't count, as Kleindienst was narrowly offside.

Immediately after, the captain's shift ended as planned, with new signing Isac Lidberg replacing him in the 33rd minute.

First-half stoppage time: Hugo Bolin scored the 0-1, assisted by Robin Hack.
74th minute: Wael Mohya made it 0-2 after a pass from Florian Neuhaus.
Stoppage time: Edin Biber scored an own goal.

Injury Concern

After a brutal challenge from opponent Bouebari Kitsamoutsele (who received a yellow card for it), Yukhym Konoplia had to be substituted after just 12 minutes. The Ukrainian new signing limped off the pitch with discomfort in his right knee, replaced by youngster Dillon Berko.

Upcoming Friendlies

Before the competitive season starts in the DFB-Pokal on August 23 against Oberliga side Schott Mainz and the Bundesliga opener on August 29 at RB Leipzig, Gladbach still have these friendlies:

August 1 (2 PM): at third-division side Hansa Rostock
August 5 (6 PM): at training camp in Tegernsee against local hosts FC Rottach-Egern
August 12 (6 PM): at Oberliga side SSVg Velbert
August 15 (3:30 PM): at Borussia-Park against Aston Villa

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Source

BILD - SportWestern

Original headline: 33-Minuten-Einsatz - Kleindienst feiert Startelf-Comeback

Original language: DE

Part of this Story

Tim Kleindienst Makes Starting Lineup Comeback in Gladbach Friendly Win

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