Mainz will round up Bundesliga matchday 21 under the lights on Karneval Sunday (19:30 CET), as...

1. FC Union Berlin suffered heartbreak in the semi-final of the DFB Pokal, going down 2-1 at Leipzig. Emil Forsberg came off the bench to score in the 92nd minute and complete the turnaround for the home side following a brave performance from the Köpenick club. Sheraldo Becker put Union ahead after 25 minutes, finishing off a cross from Christopher Trimmel. Union stayed in control of the game beyond half-time but were unable to turn dominance into goals. Felix Brych then awarded Leipzig a penalty kick on the hour mark with Andre Silva putting his side level. Leipzig’s pressure would prove too much for Union with Forsberg heading in the winner in stoppage time.

After the 5-1 success at Bochum last weekend, the Wolves host in-form 1. FSV Mainz 05 on Sunday 30 April (kick-off 17:30 CEST) in a key clash against a fellow contender for the European places. In his pre-match press conference, VfL head coach Niko Kovac discussed…
 
…the importance of the fixture: “It’s certainly a very important match, as the next matches are too. We can keep ourselves in the running on Sunday, whereas a defeat would certainly make it much more difficult. So, we know the importance of the game and also the quality of the opponents.”
 
…team news: “We have Bartol Franjic back, and Kilian Fischer was also back in training today. The two who won’t be involved are Lukas Nmecha and Kevin Paredes – with him we’re hoping he’ll be back with the group next week.”
 
…the absence of Micky van de Ven due to suspension: “Micky has been brilliant this season, I have to reiterate. He’s crucial to the solidity we have at the back, but we’ll deal fine with his absence, just like we have all the other problems we’ve had over the course of the season. I’m confident that whoever deputises will do just as well as he did in the 29 games before. Once again, we have plenty of options for this position.”
 
…Mainz’s qualities: “Everyone at Mainz knows how important it is to step out onto the pitch as a collective. They’re a team who physically work very hard, who score a lot of goals from crosses. They get forward really quickly; they’ve changed the system slightly since the last game we played in Mainz. In [Ludovic] Ajorque they’ve acquired a striker who holds the ball up very well and brings others into play. Things are looking very good, but we have to play our football too. We want to dominate.”

Erik ten Hag was not afforded the funds to bring in a marquee replacement straight away so they instead looked at the loan and free agent market.

Reus’ record: The captain scored his 160th and 161st competitive goals for BVB and overtook Michael Zorc (159) in the process. Historically, only Adi Preißler is still ahead. Following the introduction of the Oberliga West in 1947, Preißler scored 177 goals for BVB. A complete record of all BVB goal scorers has only been kept since then. The goals Preißler scored in the two seasons before 1947/48 are not included in his 177 goals.

Mitchell Weiser and Christian Groß will miss Werder’s season finale against FC Union on Saturday (27th May, 15:30 CEST). Weiser sustained a muscle injury in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Köln, whereas Groß is out with a knee problem. Both players will rejoin team training during pre-season.

The three-game-week is coming to an end. After the spectacular 3-1 cup win against 1. FSV Mainz this Tuesday and the advance to the quarterfinals of the German cup competition, it’s time for the next Bundesliga fixture. Saturday night (kick-off at 18:30 CET), 1. FC Köln will be guests at the Vonovia Ruhstadion. In the run-up to the match against the team from the Rhineland, head coach Thomas Reis answered the journalists’ question at the press conference.

Rummenigge was shocked by the scale of the scandal, as captured by Football Italia:

4 wins in a row against Schalke | 6-1 victory back in January | Bundesliga survival at stake for the opponents | S04 last-minute specialists

1. FSV Mainz 05 travel to face Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Carnival Sunday at 19:30 CET....