Finn Becker has matured into a Bundesliga player at TSG. In his first six months at Hoffenheim, however, the native of northern-Germany hardly got a chance to play. It was a trying time for the former FC St. Pauli player: “I needed a bit of time to find my feet, I spent my whole life at home before that. But I’m self-critical enough to say that it was down to me. I needed some time to get up to speed.” This ended with the start of 2023, a year in which things went steadily uphill. The midfielder has now played 25 Bundesliga matches and also made an appearance at the U21 European Championships. He is not yet a permanent member of the starting XI, but that is the 23-year-old’s next goal: “I want to measure myself against the best. And in the end, football moves fast. You have to be there in the decisive moments.”

“Union against Ajax, it’s a great draw and and one redolent with that European footballing glory,” said Union’s Director of Professional Football, Oliver Ruhnert. “As the reigning Dutch champions, they are of course an ambitious and top-class opponent who have represented the Eredivisie in Europe for many years. The role of favourites here is of course quite clear, but we are looking forward to these two games enormously, and will be looking to take our chance.”

Reports have suggested he’d welcome a move back to the Premier League. He could be in line for a big-side switch, too: Manchester United are reported to have for the summer.

Boris Rupert reporting from Erfurt

Tuchel revealed that the decision came as complete shock at the time. Much like Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern, Tuchel had not realized that he was on the verge of being sacked until it actually happened. Here’s what he had to say:

Statistically, the Augsburg team have the worst passing rate in the entire league, with only 69.1% of passes finding their target. Maaßen’s team are also rather profligate in front of goal, with only 133 shots all season, the worst in the Bundesliga. The Bavarian club are however top in cards recieved, with 39 cautions, two of which lead to reds, which testifies to a certain robustness on the pitch. With 184 fouls, they are also leading the league.

The head to head

FIFA president Gianni Infantino indicated in Qatar that a re-think was on the cards, saying:  “I have to say after this World Cup, and the success of the groups of four, we have to revisit or rediscuss the format whether we go for 16 groups of three or 12 groups of four.

Emre Can on the friendly in Erfurt:
“We tried out several things, and it can only get better. We have heavy legs, we’re at the beginning of pre-season and had two tough sessions yesterday. That’s normal, we’re at the beginning of pre-season and want to get fit for a long season. It should be fine by the time it starts.”

Alonso’s Werkself side dispatched Bayern Munich 2-1 in the last Bundesliga match before the break and the team’s performance using a 3-4-3 has allegedly lit a flame of inspiration for Tuchel: