Of course, Erling Haaland ensured that Borussia Dortmund went into the international break feeling good. With his late winner in the 3-2 victory over TSG Hoffenheim, the Norwegian striker helped BVB achieve their second win of the season and move up to fifth place in the table. The frenetic second half against TSG was a case of ups-and-downs – and that reflects the season to date for Dortmund. The comfortable DFB Cup win at Wehen Wiesbaden (3-0) and the opening impressive display against Eintracht Frankfurt (5-2) was first followed by a 3-1 defeat against FC Bayern in the Supercup and a disappointing 2-1 loss at Freiburg. Against Hoffenheim these highs and lows came together as an emotional rollercoaster ride in the second half where both the incredible individual quality of the Black and Yellows as well as certain difficulties were striking. "We've got lots of things we still want to talk about," declared coach Marco Rose after the game. "But when you win a game like this then you have the time and space to work on those things." You don't have to be a prophet to know: Rose and his staff will have done that during the international break.
Marco Rose attracted a familiar face to his team at the last moment. On the last day of the transfer window, BVB signed central defender Marin Pongracic on loan from VfL Wolfsburg. He previously played under Rose at RB Leipzig for two years. The new BVB coach knows what the Croat, born in Landshut, is worth – and Dortmund are in great need in his position as Rose has a lot of injuries to deal with in defence. Dan-Axel Zagadou, Mateu Morey and Emre Can are definitely sidelined and it is not yet certain that the full-backs Nico Schulz and Thomas Meunier will be available. There is good news for BVB with Mats Hummels: The key defender, who has not played this season due to a knee problem, returned to full training at the start of the week and he may make its first appearance of the season at the BayArena on Saturday alongside Manuel Akanji. Pongracic could play on the right side the defence if Meunier does not recover from the knock he suffered on international duty.
The injury list at BVB is not just full of defenders. Youngster Giovanni Reyna (thigh), captain Marco Reus (knee) und Thorgan Hazard (ankle) All returned early from their international duties. It remains to be seen whether the offensive players will appear against the Werkself but there are at least positive signs for Reus.
The young Dortmund team has immense potential – above all in attack. BVB have scored nine goals in the first three matchdays: That is equal top with the Werkself and FC Bayern. The departure of Jadon Sancho has not had a noticeable effect to date as the young Reyna and Jude Bellingham have shown more than a hint of their potential with the captain Reus acting as the creative source – and, of course, because Erling Haaland is Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker has already been involved in six goals in the first three matchdays and he has developed his footballing ability in addition to his athleticism and power. It is almost impossible to close Haaland out for a complete game – and if that does happen then there would be space for other players. New signing Donyell Malen may play a bigger role in the coming weeks with his incredible pace.
The return of Hummels has been longed for by many people. Not just because of his presence and his ability to open up the game but also due to his strength in the air at set pieces. Dortmund have not really excelled in that area in this early part of the season. The Black and Yellows have conceded a goal from dead ball situations in each of the three Bundesliga games so far. Too many for a top team like BVB. Six goals against in three league matches is also reason for criticism as Sebastian Kehl, the director of the senior squad, recently made clear: "We obviously don't like that."
Hardly any teams in Europe have so much talent in their ranks as Borussia Dortmund. That means the team is extremely exciting – but also not easy to assess. A lot depends on how much highly talented players like Reyna, Bellingham and also the striker Youssoufa Moukoko develop. Haaland has definitely passed that point and he will be able to help Dortmund pick up lots of points. If the injury list shrinks quickly and the young players constantly fulfil their great potential then BVB could be in with a shout of a title challenge.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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