Club

Our record goalscorer speaks about his long-term injury and his new role in the team as he looks ahead to the match against Man City.

When the line-up was announced an hour before kick-off in the season opener against VfL Bochum, Stefan Bell knew he would be in for a special match. The defender was set to make his 250th competitive appearance for 1. FSV Mainz 05. The milestone appearance puts Bell joint 16th in the club’s list of all-time record appearance makers, level with Christian Hock. The centre-back is also the longest-serving player currently in the squad. With the exception of two loan spells, the 30-year-old has been at FSV since 2007, when he joined the academy from TuS Mayen.  

VfB Stuttgart lost 1-0 at home to VfL Wolfsburg on Matchday 25.

If they cannot attend, season ticket holders can, from now, offer their tickets on the resell site.

Following on from the 7-1 triumph over WSG Tirol, VfL ended their training camp with victory in their second friendly too. Head coach Niko Kovac’s charges overcame Belgian top-flight side KV Mechelen 4-3, largely thanks to a strong first-half display. Lukas Nmecha (9’), Luca Waldschmidt (11’), Omar Marmoush (33’) and Ridle Baku (36’) were all on target for the Green-and-Whites, while Mechelen replied through Maryan Shved, who scored directly from a corner in the 43rd minute, as well as efforts from Jorge Hernandez (57’) and Geoffrey Hairemans (78’)

For the first time in decades, Europe has since been the scene of a war between sovereign states – even today, Russia’s onslaught continues with increasing ferocity and destruction. According to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), more than 13 million Ukrainians have left their country since the outbreak of war, over six million of them have fled to neighbouring European countries. The images from Ukraine and the huge suffering of the civilian population continue to affect us all.

“Could have taken a point, if not all three” – #RBLBMG reaction We gathered the thoughts...

The transfer is now over the line. Werder Bremen have completed the loan signing of Maximilian Philipp shortly before the transfer window closes. The attacker has joined SVW on loan from Wolfsburg until the end of the season, after an agreement was found with the player and the Wolves.

VfL Bochum 1848 has extended the contract of Ilja Kaenzig, commercial director and management spokesman. Sebastian Schindzielorz, VfL’s Director of Sport, on the other hand, will not extend his contract. The 43-year-old has informed the club’s management of this decision. A contract extension is being sought for head coach Thomas Reis.

For seven years, Sebastian Rudy played for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The midfielder has fond memories of his time at TSG. The 29-year-old spoke with schalke04.de about the match on Saturday (20/4, 20:30 CEST) and how to deal with increasing amount of pressure on the team.