BMG M'gladbach M'gladbach - ELV Elversberg Elversberg

Sat, 05.09.202613:30 PM

ista-Borussia-Park

Martin Petersen

1:02

Watch: Wagner talks his distinctive look and Elversberg's step up

Elversberg head coach Vincent Wagner discusses his iconic hairstyle, and the philosophy instilled at the Saarland-based outfit after making the step up to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history.

Petkov on Elversberg's rapid rise

"The first time I remember thinking, 'Hey lads, we're on to something here,' was when we faced Cologne in my first year at the club. We had more possession, put in a great performance and lost 1-0, because of an individual piece of brilliance from a Cologne player. That's when I thought, 'I don’t think we've quite realised yet how good we are.'"

Petkov on scoring Elversberg's first Bundesliga goal

"I was obviously a little surprised […] but then again it's just part and parcel of the job. It's probably one for the history books, something people will talk about. But for us, it was just important [to open with a win]."

Lukas Petkov on Elversberg's win over Leverkusen

"I think it shows that we're a pretty good side, and that we can compete. We all have to squeeze every last drop of effort out of ourselves and give everything we have to stay in this league. Beyond that, we'll see what happens."

Eugen Polanski on facing Elversberg

"Elversberg showed in their first game what they're about. They play bold football and play to their strengths. They also have a calm, stable environment and a clear idea of how they want to play. We know what we're up against, but we have to focus on our own game and make sure we come out on top in our first home match of the season."

Vincent Wagner on facing Gladbach

"It's going to be an experience for us, and an exciting game. The mood this week has been good after our win over Leverkusen. Now we're playing in front of 55,000 fans at Borussia-Park, but that doesn't scare us. Consistency has been one of our biggest strengths, regardless of where we've been playing."

4:01

Watch: Elversberg - Living the dream

The 59th and newest member of the Bundesliga family, Elversberg have had to wait over 100 years to taste top-flight football. They’d come so close a season ago, only to miss out in dramatic fashion in the play-off. But a bold, attacking approach under coach Vincent Wagner has brought this club from a small Saarland village – playing in the fourth tier in 2022 – to the promised land of German football. And they’ve immediately added another chapter to the fairy tale with a debut victory over 2024 champions Bayer Leverkusen after scoring twice in the first nine minutes.

Predicted line-up: SV Elversberg

Predicted Formation:4-2-3-1

The confirmed starting line-up will be published around 60 minutes before kick-off.

Predicted line-up: Borussia Mönchengladbach

Predicted Formation:4-2-3-1

The confirmed starting line-up will be published around 60 minutes before kick-off.

Taking their chances

Elversberg scored three times from nine attempts against Leverkusen, despite an expected goals (xG) total of just 1.4.

Another winless start

Gladbach have failed to win their Bundesliga opener for the fourth season in a row (D2, L2), but haven't lost their first two games since 2025/16.

A Bundesliga first

Gladbach won 5-0 at Elversberg in the second round of the 2020/21 DFB Cup, but this will be their first meeting in the league.

2:03

Watch: Leipzig 3-0 Gladbach - last time out

Despite a positive start, Gladbach were comfortably beaten in Leipzig on Matchday 1.

2:03

Watch: Elversberg 3-2 Leverkusen - last time out

Lukas Petkov, Cole Campbell and David Mokwa got the goals as Elversberg held off a late Bayer Leverkusen fightback to claim victory on their Bundesliga debut.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 2 fixture between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Elversberg.

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