It’s an absolute eye-catcher. The new home kit of TSG Hoffenheim is a powerful dark blue colour. The shirt also features a dynamic, slightly contrasting wavy pattern that not only symbolises movement, but also represents the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region in an abstract way – and thus a part of the home of the club. The kit is made from 100 percent recycled polyester. The new look is completed by dark blue shirts and socks.

“Happy Mainzers everywhere” was the song ringing around the training pitch during Sunday morning’s training session...

A look back at the key numbers of the 2022/23 season.

Union are in the hat for Sunday’s DFB Pokal semi-final draw following a 2-1 win over FC St. Pauli at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. The side from Hamburg managed to pull off a shock lead through Daniel-Kofi Kyereh’s free-kick on 21 minutes. Union showed character to take control of the game from there on and the resolve was rewarded when Sheraldo Becker looped in the equaliser on the stroke of half-time. Union regrouped and went on the hunt for the winning goal immediately after the restart. Andreas Voglsammer came off the bench midway through the half and went through to score the decisive goal on 75 minutes to send Union into the last four of the competition.

Luca Waldschmidt is moving from VfL Wolfsburg to Bundesliga rivals 1. FC Köln. The Wolves have agreed a loan deal with the Billy Goats until 30 June 2024.

As a result of De Zerbi’s team’s excellent form, he has attracted the interest of Tottenham’s director of football Daniel Levy, who is thought to be a big fan of the Italian.

Saturday 1 April (14:00 CET): U23s vs. Hallescher FC
The first team and the U19s aren’t the only ones with important games to play in April. Borussia’s U23s will kick off the month with a highlight in two respects. The game against Hallescher FC marks their return to their home stadium, the Rote Erde, after over a year away. The last time the U23s played there was against Eintracht Braunschweig on 21 March 2023, with subsequent renovation works putting the stadium out of action until now. The game also has huge significance in terms of the table: the two teams, which occupy 15th and 16th place, are narrowly above the drop zone and are looking to pick up important points for their survival bid. If you want to attend, the box office will be open. (Read the pre-match report.)

As Niclas Füllkrug was on the team bus to Bremen, he would not have been able to avoid noticing how many fans were making the trip to the wohninvest WESERSTADION wearing his shirt, with many also in green and white. The 1,000th international game for Germany in the city where he has impressed the national coach for months with his performances will hold a special place in his footballing career. “The fans pushed me on,” said Füllkrug, who walked out with his daughter for the game against Ukraine. “It was a particularly nice occasion, I was very happy.”

“I’m delighted with the team’s performance and my goal against a strong opponent,” Choupo-Moting raved afterward, via @iMiaSanMia. “Our ambition is to win every game. So far this year we haven’t got that many points. We could have played better. We wanted to show our real face today.”

Since Urs Fischer became head coach of Union Berlin, the club have only been heading in one direction: upwards. Having guided his side to promotion in his first year, Fischer’s Berlin finished 11th in their debut season in the Bundesliga, followed by seventh and fifth-placed finishes. Now, Union are battling RB Leipzig for third place, and are on the verge of qualification for the Champions League. With a three-point lead over fifth-placed SC Freiburg and a significantly better goal difference (+14 compared with +6), one win from their remaining two games will probably be enough for the side from the capital to qualify for the Champions League. After competing in the Europa Conference League and the Europa League, qualification for Europe’s premier competition for the first time would be the next major milestone in the club’s history.