On Sunday afternoon, SVW beat VfB Stuttgart 2-0 away from home. After a streaky opening period, Werder grew into the game and were able to create a couple of good chances. Füllkrug even headed in, but the goal was disallowed due to a foul on his part. One moment shortly before the end of the first half also caused a stir when Niklas Schmidt was brought down on the edge of the Stuttgart penalty area. Referee WIllenborg decided on a free kick which Ducksch put just wide of the post. In the second half, Jens Stage fired Werder ahead (59’) with a wonder goal, before Marvin Ducksch (77’) made it 2-0.

The second round of the “step kickt!” project was successfully completed at the end of the 2021/22 season. “step kickt!” is an interactive step competition organized by the DFL Foundation and the Cleven Foundation in cooperation with professional clubs from the Bundesliga, 2nd Bundesliga and 3rd Liga. The project is designed to actively motivate children to exercise more. To introduce the project, the children receive free fitness wristbands. These measure the steps taken, which can be viewed at any time on the step kickt! website.

At the club’s annual general meeting (AGM) on Sunday, FC Schalke 04 announced the signing of 19-year-old Turkish centre-back Ozan Kabak from VfB Stuttgart. Just a day later, the new Royal Blue trained with his new teammates for the first time. In his first interview with schalke04.de, Kabak spoke about why he chose to join Schalke, his first six months in the Bundesliga, close friend Ahmed Kutucu, his new surroundings in Gelsenkirchen and his aims for the upcoming months.

Enrico Maaßen made one change to the team that lost 4-3 at Dortmund on Sunday. Mergim Berisha replaced the injured Ruben Vargas up front to partner new signing Dion Beljo. Ermedin Demirović started on the left wing.

Bayern did have to wait for their moments to come, but when they did, they made the most of them, which is something they had struggled with earlier on in the Hinrunde in the Bundesliga. Speaking after the match, Julian Nagelsmann was pleased with the patience his side showed to take their moments well to make the ultimate difference. Barcelona was still fighting for a result despite knowing their chances of progression were nipped in the bud by virtue of Inter beating Viktoria Plzen prior to kicking off against Bayern.

No changes to the starting XI

Linus Gechter has joined Eintracht Braunschweig on loan for the rest of the 2022/23 season. The deal doesn’t include a buy option. The Berlin-born centre-back will be allowed to train immediately with Braunschweig. “Linus is a massively talented lad and we want to aid his development as best we can. He’s already been able to show his potential at just 18,” said Fredi Bobic. “We want this loan to give him minutes in the second division to enable him to take the next step in his development, that’s the most important thing at his age. We’re looking forward to seeing him again in the summer.”

In the first training session under Pellegrino Matarazzo, the team went about their work with great focus...

Top clash against Borussia Dortmund | Overall head-to-head in favour of BVB | Julian Brandt in top form

Bo Svensson knows that Augsburg’s WWK Arena can be a tough trip for Mainz, ahead of the 05ers returning to Bavaria on Saturday afternoon (15:30 CEST). “It is no secret that we haven’t exactly shone in our recent visits to Augsburg,” recalled the head coach at a press conference two days before the match. “We know what a tough away day it is, and how difficult it has been for us in the past. That is already additional motivation,” the Dane added on Thursday afternoon.