RBL take on Gladbach in final of U17 Bundesliga

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RB Leipzig

·13 giugno 2025

RBL take on Gladbach in final of U17 Bundesliga

Bring the title home to Leipzig, boys!

Our U17s are preparing for their biggest game of the season, with the final of the U17 Bundesliga set to take place on Sunday (13:00 CEST). RBL will take on Borussia Mönchengladbach at BORUSSIA-PARK, with the title on the line. It marks the first time since 2014 that RBL are taking part in the final of the competition again. Back then, the Bulls suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund at the Red Bull Arena. Now, the team are hoping to crown their season with silverware.

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Road to the final

Head coach Tim Krömer's ended the regular season in first place, ahead of SC Paderborn and dem Hamburger SV. They then opened the finals round with a 4-2 win in the round of 16 against 1. FC Magdeburg.

The team's quarter-final showdown with 1. FC Köln was pure drama – despite finding themselves trailing and a man down, RBL fought back to advance to the semi-finals. Hannes Hopke netted the winning goal in the 116th minute to seal a 4-3 victory for his side.

Despite trailing early on in their semi-final clash against VfB Stuttgart, our boys managed to turn things around and celebrate a dominant 5-1 win. For the first time in more than 10 years, RBL find themselves back in the final of the U17 Bundesliga!

The head coach's thoughts ahead of the final

Tim Krömer on the final and its significance for the club:

"I'm incredibly proud of our development and of the way in which we play – it's exactly how I imagine football should be played. Last Saturday was close to perfection, and I hope that we will be able to display a similar performance on the pitch this Sunday."
"There's obviously a certain degree of anticipation as well, but that's exactly what's needed to get out those final percentage points. It also might be my only chance to get to experience something like this. If so, then I hope that I'll be able to enjoy the moment and the reward for two years of intense work."
"For us as a club, it would naturally be a huge achievement because it mirrors the work we invest each and every day. It's not only the team or the staff – there are many great people at the club that do their part to ensure that the lads are able to celebrate successes like this."

Our team

Both RBL's starting line-up and substitutes impressed in Stuttgart. Carlos Naumann's brace was instrumental in helping the team come back to win. Strike partner Abdul Baki Al Khalaf has been a real threat all season, netting 16 goals in total. The youth international isn't only his team's top scorer this season, but has also been one of the standout players in the competition in 2024/25.

Captain Toni Langsteiner is RBL's midfield maestro, providing vision, calmness and tactical prowess from the centre of the pitch. He made his debut for the club's first team during their post-season friendly in Brazil against Santos FC. Faik Sakar, a winger who served for near constant danger after coming on in the semi-finals, has also been able to amass his first bits of Bundesliga experience. The same goes for Niko Tomasevic, a regular starter for our U19s, who scored immediately after coming off the bench.

Goalkeeper Franz Hantschmann impressed with several strong saves, in addition to being a key contributor to the team's build-up play. Matthes Kutscher is a real leader in attack, helping motivate his teammates as well.

Dilane Yarsekou will also be back in time for the final, having missed the semis due to suspension.

Video highlights from the semi-finals

The opponent

Borussia Mönchengladbach have also showed off their comeback qualities on their way to reaching the final, having trailed in all of their knockout stage matches.

After finishing the regular season in first place, ahead of last season's champions Borussia Dortmund, the Foals went on to win 5-3 (a.e.t.) in the round of 16 against Hertha BSC. They came back from 3-1 down to win 4-3 against Hoffenheim in the quarter-finals, before winning 3-1 in their semi-final against FC Bayern München in front of 6,272 spectators at BORUSSIA-PARK.

Gladbach's preferred formation is a 4-3-3. Winger Niko Horvat is a real danger from out wide, scoring a hat-trick against Hoffenheim and contributing a goal and an assist against Bayern. Wael Mohya (brace in the semi-final), captain Mathieu Nguefack (featured for Germany at the U17 EUROs) and Armin Spahic (Bosnia U17 international) make for a fearsome midfield trio.

The Foals are also strong in defence, with both full-backs bringing plenty of international experience to the table: Artem Muradyan (Ukraine U17s) and Joseph Bellahsen (Morocco U17Ss). Goalkeeper Marcello Trippel (Germany U17s) was a first-choice goalkeeper at this year's U17 EUROs. Gladbach also have strong options to choose from off the bench, with players such as Can Güner (Germany U17s) coming on in their semi-final clash.

This will be the first meeting between these two sides.

Live bei Sky Sport

Das Finale wird ab ca. 12.30 Uhr live bei Sky übertragen – im TV sowie im kostenlosen Livestream auf skysport.de, in der Sky Sport App und auf YouTube.

Tickets

Gästefans sichern sich Tickets über den Ticketshop von Borussia Mönchengladbach – Block 7 ist für RBL-Fans vorgesehen (rot markiert). Stadionöffnung ist um 11.30 Uhr.

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