B. Dankert
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90'
+ 5
A. DONIS KEEPS STUTTGART SURVIVAL HOPES ALIVE
He is indeed, a Donis, as Anastasios Donis scored the only goal to earn Stuttgart all three points in a vital win. Hours after Schalke had won to go nine points clear of them and the relegation play-off spot, Stuttgart beat UEFA Champions League-chasing Gladbach to close the gap to the Royal Blues to six points once again. A fantastic start for Nico Willig.
Full-time
90'
+ 5
BACK UNDERWAY
Will we be treated to some goals in this second half, or will these two evenly matched sides go unseparated for 90 minutes?
85'
NO WAY THROUGH...
Endless crosses are being pounded into the Stuttgart box, but the home defence is standing firm against the Foals. A mistake, special moment of skill or even pure luck good give Gladbach a goal that would cap off their pressure. But Stuttgart are remaining calm and composed.
81'
A LATE LEVELLER?
Gladbach are all over Stuttgart here in terms of possession. Sommer hasn't seen the ball since picking it out of his own net, but the Foals just can't seem to hit the target when it matters at the moment.
78'
Substitution
77'
PLEA HEADS WIDE
Another big chance for the Frenchman. This time it comes from great work from Traore on the right, who reads a pass out wide superbly to beat Sosa, and race to get a cross into the box. It deflects and comes to Plea, who heads at goal, but it glances off him and goes well wide in the end.
71'
Substitution
71'
Substitution
68'
GLADBACH ON TOP, BUT LACKING CREATIVITY
The arrivals of Oscar Wendt and Ibrahima Traore are attempting to bring some creativity back into the Gladbach team. The away side have enjoyed most of the possession since going behind, but Zieler has yet to make a save in the second half. With Hazard now further up the pitch, having played as almost a left wing-back in the first half, Hecking will be hoping to see that change.
67'
Substitution
67'
Substitution
57'
Substitution
56'
DONIS MAKES THIS CHANCE COUNT!
Just a couple of minutes after hitting the most, Donis doesn't make the same mistake. A long ball forward is poorly defended by Elvedi as he mistimes his header, which Donis is able to latch onto on the edge of the Gladbach box. He controls, composes himself, and smashes the ball into the bottom corner.
53'
OFF THE POST!
That chance woke the stadium and this game up as Donis latched onto a long ball, beating a defender to reach the ball before curling a shot at goal from an angle. It curled beyond Sommer's reach, but bounced back out from the face of the far post. Stuttgart can't come closer than that...
Kick-off!
Half-time
41'
DIDAVI SHOULD DO BETTER...
The attacking midfielder is shaking his head after missing a header which could've given his side the lead. He is alone in the box and the ball drifts beyond a Gladbach defender's reach, but the ball bounces on the ground before reaching Sommer from Didavi's effort.
37'
HOFMANN FORCES A SAVE
Quick-thinking from Hofmann to get a shot away at goal from inside the Stuttgart box, and equally cat-like reflexes from Zieler keeps the ball out of the home side's net.
30'
END-TO-END ENTERTAINMENT HERE
It's counter-attack galore here in Stuttgart, with Gladbach, in particular, looking to use their pace on the wings to good affect with rapid counter-attacking play.
25'
GLADBACH HALTED BY CASTRO
Another break for the away side sees Hofmann played in on goal, but he is only able to reach the ball seconds before Zieler and has to let the ball run loose as he claims it. He then looks to smash it across the box to the back post with a man waiting, but Castro provides a superb block to help make up for his earlier miss.
23'
STUTTGART FLUFFING THEIR LINES
Two huge chances in the space of a couple of minutes. First off, Sosa reaches the byline and cuts the ball back for Castro - who is alone in front of goal, but the midfielder falls as he goes to hit the ball and slices the ball wide. Pavard picks up the ball again and crossed it to the near post where Beck met it, and went for the acrobatic effort - but missed his chance.
18'
STUTTGART LATE TO TACKLES
Two poorly-timed fouls from Andreas Beck and Borna Sosa see the pair into the referee's box. Gladbach have taken control of this game in recent minutes in terms of possession, but still no further attempts on goal.
11'
STUTTGART MAKING MOVES
The home side are beginning to click into gear here, and it looks like Pavard is being played in his famous right-back position which he controlled for France's World Cup-winning campaign over the summer. Kabak is dominating the defence in the middle, after Stuttgart survived Plea's early opening.
4'
ZIELER STOPS PLEA!
The Frenchman is unlikely to get a better chance of scoring today. He is clean through, one-on-one with the goalkeeper and two men in support but goes for goal himself. But he can't beat Zieler, who stays big and kicks the ball away after Plea's shot.
1'
UNDERWAY IN STUTTGART!
The final game of the day is underway in the Bundesliga, with Stuttgart getting things underway against Gladbach.
Kick-off!
SOSA AND AOGO BACK IN
The Stuttgart pair are the winners of the Stuttgart coaching change, with Nico Willig bringing them in for their first starts in over three months.
ZIELERS SPECIAL DAY
The World Cup-winning goalkeeper is celebrating his 250th Bundesliga game today. Can he do so with a clean sheet against Borussia Mönchengladbach?
HAZARD AND PLEA IN ATTACK
Raffael's absence through injury means that French-speaking pair Hazard and Plea are the men tasked with finding the goals for Gladbach today. Belgium international Thorgan has still yet to score in the league in 2019, but the run surely has to come to an end before the season closes? Could today be the day...
CAN GLADBACH TAKE ADVANTAGE?
After seeing Eintracht Frankfurt fail to beat Hertha Berlin at home this afternoon, Borussia Mönchengladbach should be licking their lips before their visit to Stuttgart today. A win will take them level on points with the Eagles in fourth spot, with only goal difference separating the two sides going into the final three games of the season.
STUTTGART LINE-UP!
Zieler – Kabak, Pavard, Kempf – Beck (c), Castro, Aogo, Sosa – Didavi – Donis, Gonzalez (SUBS: Grahl, Insua, Baumgartl, Esswein, Thommy, Gomez, Badstuber)
GLADBACH LINE-UP!
Sommer (c) – Ginter, Strobl, Elvedi – Herrmann, Kramer, Zakaria, Hofmann – Neuhaus – Hazard, Plea (SUBS: Sippel, Traore, Wendt, Drmic, Johnson, Jantschke, Cuisance)
Welcome along to the match centre for the game Stuttgart vs. M'gladbach from matchday 31 of the 2018/19 Bundesliga season at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Check back here for full information on the match.