Gumny will therefore miss the opening game of the Bundesliga season on 18th-20th August but will be eligible for the first round of the DFB-Pokal, to be played between 11th and 14th August 2023. The club has acknowledged and accepted the DFB’s decision.

The Frenchman is reportedly well appreciated by the German record champions, however, with manager Julian Nagelsmann chiming in ahead of this Sunday’s Bundesliga match against Union Berlin.

Mainz are travelling to the capital to face Union Berlin on Saturday (4th February, 15:30 CET)...

Taiwo Awoniyi’s 17th Bundesliga goal for 1. FC Union Berlin secured three vital points at home to 1. FC Köln on April 1. The home win – for the first time in front of a full house without restrictions – saw Urs Fischer’s men go to 41 points and achieve the minimum season target for the campaign. The atmosphere at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei returned to normal levels and it helped push the team on against a strong, physical opponent under the management of former Union striker Steffen Baumgart. Taiwo Awoniyi nearly broke through after two minutes but goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe was quick to rescue his defence. Both teams snuffed out counter-attacking situations, with just Mark Uth and Jonas Hector forcing Frederik Rönnow into action. Grischa Prömel passed up two chances towards the end of the half while Rani Khedira shot wide. In the end, Hector’s loose backpass set up the chance for Awoniyi to score straight after the restart and secure all three points for the Köpenick club.

The Bundesliga is in the home straight of the 2022/23 season, with the final round of fixtures on Matchday 34 all kicking off at 15:30 CEST on Saturday. VfL Wolfsburg have their sights set on UEFA Europa League qualification when they host a Hertha BSC side whose relegation was confirmed last weekend.

The 25-year-old’s 2021-22 campaign was also cut short after undergoing knee surgery, an injury which played a part in his side missing out on the top four.

Edin Terzic questions black and yellow fan chants, Sabine Heinrich hands out hearts to Alexander Meyer and presenter Nobby Dickel leads the way in top form through a funnny 41st edition of Brinkhoff’s Ballgeflüster. At Café Seepark Lünen, the quartet looks ahead to the top match against Bayern in front of an audience of around 200, Sabine Heinrich talks about life in Cologne after a 6:1 win over FC and Edin Terzic explains why he would like to see Alex Meyer topless with two coconuts in his hands in 50 years.

The votes have been counted: Manuel Riemann is the VfL fans’ player of the first half...

Badstuber, who had an incredibly unlucky career in dealing with injuries, still thinks his old teammate, Müller, has plenty to offer the club and probably could have been a big help against Die Fohlen.