Wolfsburg beat Borussia Dortmund for first German Cup title

Wolfsburg has won Germany's premier knockout title, defeating Borussia Dortmund in front of a huge crowd in Berlin on Saturday. Despite the pre-game hype, BVB were not able to give their departing coach a final victory.

Borussia Dortmund 1-3 Wolfsburg

5' Aubameyang - 22' Luis Gustavo, 33' de Bruyne, 38' Dost 

On what was meant to be a perfect farewell night for their departing coach Jürgen Klopp, Borussia Dortmund put in a disappointing performance at a sold out Berlin Olympic stadium on Saturday night.

But it all started so promisingly for the team from western Germany's Ruhr region. After just five minutes Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang slotted home the first goal of the game for BVB, after a looped cross from Shinji Kagawa.

With powerful support from their fans, Dortmund proceeded to dominate the early stages and seemed to be back to their dominant style of old. But the game changed in the 21st minute, when Wolfsburg were awarded a free kick 25 meters from goal.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the first goal of the game

Naldo's strong free kick was only bunted away by BVB's keeper, before Luis Gustavo smashed the ball home.

Just over 10 minutes later, Wolfsburg's second goal caught Borussia Dortmund even more unawares. A string of passes from Wolfsburg, saw Daniel Caligiuri set up Kevin de Bruyne who smashed home from 18 meters out. The shot, which landed right in the corner of Langerak's net even went through Hummels legs.

And Dortmund's defense was caught napping again before the half-time break, after Bas Dost headed in a perfect cross from Ivan Perisic.

Missed chances

After what can only have been a rousing half-time talk, Klopp's team started strongly in the second half. Kagawa had an excellent close-range chance to peg one back for his team, but his shot just shaved the outside of the post.

After seven years at BVB, Jürgen Klopp has now finally finished at Dortmund

And before long, it was the Dortmund of old. Missed chances, predictable play and - most importantly - poor defending, which let Wolfsburg back into the game again and again.

Dortmund were lucky to be not trailing 4-1 in the 65th minute, when a shot from Caligiuri was missed by Langerak but Erik Durm's heel blocked the goal-bound shot.

A late save from Wolfsburg's keeper Diego Benaglio from an Aubameyang free-kick ensured that the Bundesliga runners-up, Wolfsburg, comfortably cruised to victory. It was the first German Cup title win ever in Wolfsburg's club history.

Hamburg and Karlsruhe tied after play-off first leg

With everything at stake in the relegation play-off, Bundesliga dinosaurs Hamburg and second-tier Karlsruhe will battle it out in the second leg after a 1-1 draw in Hamburg.

Hamburg 1-1 Karlsruhe

(Ilicevic 72' - Hennings 4')

A second-half equalizer from Ivo Ilicevic gives Hamburg a fighting chance of securing their Bundesliga status in the relegation play-off.

The Croatian forward scored on 72 minutes to level the scores after the first-leg despite trailing for more than an hour following an early drive from Karlsruhe's top goalscorer Rouwen Hennings.

For the second season in succession, Hamburg will head into the second 90 minutes of action with the scores all square after a win over Greuther Fürth last year on away goals. Yet having conceded, Hamburg will need to score at the very least to secure survival when the teams meet again on Monday evening.

Before either team had settled into a rhythm, the second-division side struck a sucker-punch in the fourth minute. Hennings took the ball into feet in what seemed to be a safe area of the pitch for the hosts, but the center-forward struck the ball, 20 yards out, from an angle, squeezing his exquisite finish inside Rene Adler's left-hand post.

It was a finish deserving of a place in Germany's top-division and there was some added importance for the 27-year-old - he was on the books of two Hamburg clubs, HSV and St Pauli.

If you had written a script, it maybe couldn't have gone better to plan for Karlsruhe. The early goal was the perfect foundation for the visitors to flood the center of the park and hold a very compact 4-4-2 formation against a listless Hamburg.

Cursing missed chances

Hennings scored against his former club on four minutes

When Karlsruhe was able to counterattack, there was space to exploit. On 26 minutes, Enrico Valentini clipped a 20-yard free-kick just a few yards too high, and three minutes later, Jamaican center-back Daniel Gordon headed over unmarked at a corner-kick.

Hamburg's home crowd was becoming increasingly restless and the Northern Germans were relieved to go into the interval with only a one-goal deficit to fight back. But Bruno Labbadia's men weathered the storm after the break with the crossbar rattled twice in 30 seconds.

First, on 52 minutes, Jonas Meffert's finish on the penalty spot hit the woodwork, and in the resulting passage of play, Dimitry Lazarov's looping effort clipped the top of the bar.

The Northern Germans would respond with 18 minutes to play, a seemingly innocuous ball falling to Ilicevic whose snap-shot sneaked into the net. The two sides were happy to close up the back-door to avoid losing any late goals, but Hamburg wasn't able to make the most of their superior possession.

Despite salvaging something, the onus in the second-leg will lie with Hamburg who would still go down if the match ended goalless.

Kroos, Neuer and Müller all missing from Löw's new squad

Germany's national team coach Joachim Löw has named a 20-man squad for games against the USA and Gibraltar. A host of World Cup winners are out of the team, due to fitness concerns.

Germany national team coach Joachim Löw has opted to rest World Cup winners Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos and Manuel Neuer for his team's next two games in June.

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Neuer is suffering from a series of niggles from the Bundesliga season while team-mate Müller and Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos are tired after the long campaign. Injury-prone duo Marco Reus and Julian Draxler have also been left out but could be called up in emergencies.

"I’ve been able to count on them a lot recently. They deserve a break," Löw said in a statement on the German Football Association (DFB) website. "I have one eye on the next set of qualifiers and on next year’s European Championship, should we reach it."

Löw's side is due to take on the United States in a friendly on June 10 in Cologne and play a EURO 2016 qualifier against Gibraltar in Portugal three days later.

Borussia Mönchengladbach attacker Patrick Herrmann, who has helped his Bundesliga side to Champions League qualification this season, is in line for his national team debut against the US in Cologne.

Löw has called up a total of 20 players, 13 of whom won the World Cup in Brazil last year.

Darmstadt are the Bundesliga's new likeable underdogs

Darmstadt tend not to do anything the simple way, so perhaps it was fitting that they sealed promotion to the Bundesliga with a late goal in a nail-biting 1-0 win over St. Pauli on the final day of the season.

The Lillies, as they're known, have seen a lot of ups and downs in their 117-year history. Three facts that you you should know are that they're one of the oldest licensed clubs in Germany, they beat French champions Club Athlétique de Vitry 5-0 in 1910 and they were re-constituted six months after the end of World War II, only to see their stadium requisitioned by occupying US troops

Their first go at the Bundesliga came in 1978 with a more than reputable 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich thanks to a special goal late on in the match. But the Lillies went down at the end of that campaign, and although they returned to the top flight two years later, they again immediately went down in 1982.

By that point, the club was deeply in debt. And throughout the next 33 years, Darmstadt looked more likely to fold entirely than to ever return to Germany's footballing elite.

Darmstadt, which is near Frankfurt, is celebrating a return to the Bundesliga after 33 years 

Two years, three divisions

Darmstadt sank down to the fourth division and although they subsequently clawed their way back up to the third, they should have been subject to another drop after failing to win a do-or-die final matchday clash in the 2012-13 season. But financial irregularities meant that local rivals Kickers Offenbach couldn't secure a third-division license and were relegated instead.

Darmstadt rebounded in 2013-14 and finished third in division three, qualifying them for a playoff against Arminia Bielefeld. The tie played over two legs didn't start well, with Darmstadt going down 3-1 in their own stadium. Normally that would have meant lights out due to the away-goals rule.

But the return fixture in Bielefeld ended 3-1 for Lillies after 90 minutes, necessitating extra time. Bielefeld got a goal, but Darmstadt also scored in the second minute of injury time to achieve promotion to division two. Compared to that heart-stopper, this season's rise to the top flight seems positively languid.

In a sense, the Lillies are the only team to have been promoted from division four to division one in only two seasons.

Bellarabi: 'We can be satisfied with fourth'

You set the record for the fastest Bundesliga goal ever scored - nine seconds into the first round of the season. Tell us about your personal highlights this season.

Karim Bellarabi: I think it all started with that goal, I was looking forward to this season a lot. I'd worked out a lot and had a good training camp. I was really glad it worked out with a goal - and after only nine seconds.

What else will you remember about the past 34 matchdays?

I think the most important thing is that we played a good season as a team. We can be satisfied with fourth place. We can now qualify for the Champions League. For me, personally, it was also a great year. I was called up to the German national team - that was really special. I think it was a very successful season for me.

You scored 12 goals and contributed 9 assists. Was there a specific moment when you thought: This is going to be my year?

Of course. Right from the start things fell into place. I got on well with the coach, and we communicated a lot. I felt good from the get-go and was able to push myself. I worked hard, and the coach put his faith in me. Everything came together.

Who were your favorite stars as a kid and how did they influence you?

As a little boy, you have a lot of respect for professional football players. One of my great dreams was just to meet a football player. I think most boys dream of being a pro football player. That was my goal as well. I had a lot of idols. I always liked watching Ronaldinho or Zinedine Zidane play.

Your breakthrough came relatively late. Any idea why?

I spent a year out injured. That was a difficult phase of course. And then I was loaned out to Braunschweig. I only returned this season and that's when it happened. I have no problem with it taking a while, I'm just happy things worked out.

How much of the street football you learnt in your childhood still around in German football these days?

I think I learned a bunch of things that have stuck with me, but I can't say precisely what. I can say that we went out to play everyday and learned all our skills. Maybe I owe my speed to those days, but I can't say for sure. I only know that the older kids picked me early on when we were dividing up teams. That of course gave me self-confidence.

Which Bundesliga team took you by surprise in 2014-15?

None of them were a total surprise. Bayern Munich were way out ahead, but they do what they do very well. Wolfsburg were maybe a slight surprise, but before the season even started you could see they had lots of quality. I think they played really well as well. Gladbach came in third because they played a good season and have a good team. So I don't think any of them came as a complete surprise.

Roberto Di Matteo Steps Down As FC Schalke Manager

FC Schalke 04 have announced this morning that they’ve parted company with manager Roberto Di Matteo after the 44-year-old decided to step down from the job. Di Matteo is quoted as saying that a new start would be "the best thing for all involved" and that he has therefore "come to the decision to step down as head coach." 

The Royal Blues lost 2-0 to 16th-placed Hamburger SV on Saturday and once again put in a poor performance. After missing out on a Champions League spot, their aim at the start of the season, Schalke dropped to sixth place and will now be involved in the Europa League third qualifying round. Di Matteo, who led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2012, took over from Jens Keller in October.

Bundesliga Champion Celebration

Congratulation to FC Bayern Munchen

Schalke part ways with Di Matteo

The news that Roberto di Matteo was out at Schalke was broken late Sunday afternoon by the SportBild newspaper and indepedently confirmed by the respected Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as well as the football magazine kicker.

The club weren't confirming or denying that news on Sunday, nor of course, was their any word about a potential successor.

The Italian coach, who won the Champions League with English side Chelsea in 2012, took over from Jens Keller at Schalke on October 7, 2014. But the Royal Blues' drive for the Champions League places stalled under his tutelage, and he was unpopular with many fans for what they saw as his unattractive, defense-oriented style of play.

Supporters went so far as to turn their back on the team at their final home match of the season one week ago. And calls for Di Matteo to go intensified after a completely anemic performance on the last day of the season against strugglers Hamburg.

"You have to ask questions about everyone in a position of sporting responsibility, be they players, coaches or management," commercial manager Horst Heldt told TV reporters after Schalke's 2-0 loss to Hamburg on Saturday.

The Royal Blues finished the season a disappointing sixth.

Stuttgart have confirmed that coach Huub Stevens will step down after saving the team from relegation from the second year in a row. The Southern Germans owe a heck of a lot to the gruff Dutchman. 

"We deserve to celebrate" - Boateng

World Champion Jérôme Boateng sat down with DFB.de to discuss Bayern's title celebrations, Jürgen Klopp's farewell, the substitution of Robert Lewandowski and the upcoming tasks with the DFB Team. 

DFB.de: Mr. Boateng, congratulations on winning the championship and to your personal success, of repeating the feat of giving Pep Guardiola a beer shower, like you did last summer. 

Jérôme Boateng: It wasn’t as easy this year. He found a much better hiding place today. 

DFB.de: Will you be looking for the hat trick next year?

Boateng: First of all, I hope that we will win the Bundesliga title again next season. But we should now be talking about the Bundesliga campaign that just ended and we should celebrate. We deserve to celebrate after this season.

DFB.de: Is the team able to fully enjoy the celebrations, or are the two missed finals in Berlin still at the back of your minds?

Boateng: No, we are going to celebrate now. Berlin is not a topic at this moment. We can't change any of that anyway. The championship is what it's all about today. We worked hard for this moment for a very long year. 

DFB.de: Dortmund's coach Jürgen Klopp said that he could imagine becoming FC Bayern's coach one day. What do you say to that?

Boateng: I think it is undisputed, that Jürgen Klopp is a very, very good coach. We will have to wait and see if it works out that he can come here some day in the future. But it would certainly be interesting to see. 

DFB.de: What do you think when Robert Lewandowski was subbed off, although he was still in a position to win the Bundesliga's Golden Boot?

Boateng: I think it was more important for Claudio Pizarro to make an appearance.

DFB.de: But he could've subbed off ten other players for that. 

Boateng: Yes, but at the end of the day it's the coach's decision and that's what he decided to do. Overall I don't think it's that important. 

DFB.de: Will you be on holiday starting Monday, or are you going to play for Germany in June?

Boateng: That will be decided on Monday. 

DFB.de: What are you hoping for?

Boateng: We will see. I will talk to our coach about it. Both options are fine with me.

Roberto Di Matteo: The manner of the goals annoys me

Both teams wanted victory but at only one team could come out on top. We noted down the reaction of Roberto Di Matteo and Bruno Labbadia after Hamburger SV beat FC Schalke 04 2-0 on the last day of the 2014/15 Bundesliga season.

Roberto Di Matteo:

We had chances before the break and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar had a huge opportunity just after the interval. The manner of the goals we conceded annoys me. We have to be more alert. We could have got one back through Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting but it didn’t go in. The second half of the game pretty much sums up 2015 for us. We need to make the most of our chances. Ahead of the game our aim was to finish in fifth place, we’ve now dropped to sixth. We’re certainly not happy.

Bruno Labbadia:

We wanted to win – that was our main goal. The way we went about it, considering the pressure we were under, was impressive. Schalke didn’t make things easy for us. I’m delighted that we didn’t go down automatically. We now need to wait and see who our opponents will be. Anything could happen still in the second division.

Dortmund fans give Jurgen Klopp an Amazing send off with impressive display

And none more so that Borussia Dortmund fans, who have had to come to terms with the fact the popular German manager will leave BVB this wimmer.

But they made sure he would not forget his last game in charge against Werder Bremen with a superb tifo from the Westfalenstadion home end.

They unfurled a massive image of Klopp with 'Danke Jurgen' alongside it as the coach ended his seven years stint at the club.

The whole day was about thanks as the Dortmund Twitter account went into full love-in mode after each goal.

They 'thanked' Shinji Kagawa, Patrick-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrick Mkhitaryan after each of their goals.

Stuttgart should be safe from the drop

The maths: it's in their own hands

Ahead of Matchday 34 and the last game of the season, the relegation battle remains wide open. Six teams are still fighting to secure their Bundesliga safety - more than in any other season at this stage.

The tradition-laden club from the south-west will play their last 90 minutes of the season against direct challengers SC Paderborn. It's the ultimate relegation six-pointer: 16th in the Bundesliga goes head-to-head with the bottom-placed club.

While there are just two points between the two sides, Stuttgart has the advantage of having their fate in their own hands. A win will undoubtedly ensure their Bundesliga status continues. Also, the Swabians are fuelled by a new-found confidence after two home wins on the spin, especially from the 2-1 win over Hamburg last weekend.

"What happened in Matchday 33 doesn't count any more," said sporting director Robin Dutt. "In Paderborn, the atmosphere is already electric."

The strong attack of Daniel Ginczek and Daniel Didavi offers hope, even if they should be converting more of their chances. Yet away from home, Stuttgart has significant problems - in 2015 there have been four losses and two draws.

The mood: Relying on mental strength

After months of shaking in the relegation battle, Stuttgart is well-positioned for the match in Paderborn. "We are emotionally well-prepared," Dutt added. Like in previous weeks, Dutt and coach Huub Stevens have brought a sense of calm to the place. Nothing has changed at training in the last few days.

"It's important sometimes to just say 'we feel good about what we are doing,'" said Dutt. "We can't just hope that the competition will help us. We have to rely on ourselves and go for the win."

In the final weeks of the season, everybody has joined forces at Stuttgart, which shouldn't be taken for granted. Fans, dressed in all-white, helped their side in the recent clash with Hamburg. Hundreds marched from a local train station to the stadium as a show of unity. Even former players like Timo Hildebrand stood with the fans as his ex-club look to avoid the drop.

"It looked like for a long time that Stuttgart had no chance of going into the second division," the keeper said on Germany's "Sky" channel "but they have recovered phenomenally and have a starting point going into the last game."

The prognosis: Huub's experience could save VfB

Despite their poor away record, the table situation could be advantageous for Stuttgart - Paderborn must win to survive and hope other results still go their way. What stands up for Paderborn is that there is nothing to lose. The support from the home fans will be unconditional in order to complete the miracle. According to the team based in East Westphalia, they will fight until they drop.

Of course, in Huub Stevens, Stuttgart has exactly the sort of coach who is experienced and proven in relegation battles. The Dutchman has never been relegated as a coach in the Bundesliga and that should be the case after this showdown too. Expect his team to take advantage of the fact that Paderborn has to attack and to snatch a few goals on the counter-attack.

Now that calmness has been restored to Stuttgart, Stevens' under-performing side should survive.

It seems like every season Freiburg is fighting to stay up in the Bundesliga. This time around it's the same story, as Christian Streich's team hang in 14th place. But, the team has a prominent supporter. 

Pasukan U17 Jerman Mara ke Final !

Captain Felix Passlack

Jerman Mara ke perlawanan akhir!

Persembahan yang baik dari Jerman U17 dalam Kejohanan Eropah berterusan kerana mereka berjaya mara ke perlawanan akhir di Bulgaria. Pasukan Christian Wück meraikan kejayaan 1-0 kemenangan ke atas Rusia pada separuh akhir dan kini bakal bertemu Perancis pada perlawanan akhir. Pemain Borussia Dortmund, Janni Serra menjaringkan gol, setelah terlepas beberapa peluang.

Tidak seperti kemenangan sebelum ini diperingkat suku akhir menentang Sepanyol (4-2 AET), Wück telah membuat beberapa perubahan dan percaturan kepada kesebelasan utamanya. Dzenis Burnic, Görkem Saglam, Salih Ozcan, Janni Serra dan Enes Aykol menggantikan pemain yang cedera seperti Joel Abu Hanna, Erdic Karakas, Mats Köhlert (yang digantung perlawanan), Niklas Schmidt dan Johannes Eggestein. Kapten Felix Passlack dan Constantin Frommann pula dikekalkan di tempat mereka sebagai dua ahli pasukan yang paling penting.

Jerman ternyata pasukan yang lebih baik dan jelas lebih bertekad untuk menang di Stadion Beroe di Stara Zagora. Selepas permulaan yang agak kucar-kacir, pasukan Jerman, yang diketuai Passlack, mengubah rentak permainan yang dilihat semakin berkesan dalam permainan mereka dan mampu mewujudkan banyak peluang, walaupun pertahanan Rusia agak padat dalam kotak penalti.

Jerman terkena palang dua kali pada separuh pertama

Ozcan mempunyai peluang yang baik pada babak pertama permainan. Pemain dari Cologne itu merembat dari jarak 20 ela dan malangnya hanya mencecah palang gol. Penjaga gol Rusia Alexandr Maksimenko sebenarnya telah terperangkap berada di luar kawasan dan sudah tidak akan mempunyai peluang untuk menyelamatkan. Dmitri Pletnev mempunyai satu peluang terbaik untuk Rusia, tetapi diselamatkan Frommann dari jarak dekat dengan refleks yang pantas.

Sejurus selepas itu, Serra dan Ozcan sekali lagi mendapat beberapa peluang tetapi kedua-dua pertahanan kental Rusia berjaya menyekat kedua-dua pemain Jerman dengan berkesan. Matlamatnya untuk mendapatkan gol sebelum masa rehat tidak kesampaian: Gül menanduk sepakan percuma Saglam, tetapi bola terkena bahagian dalam palang. Masih 0-0.

Jerman kekal bersabar dan mendapat ganjaran

Selepas waktu rehat, serangan Jerman meningkat bertali arus, menguasai permainan dan mewujudkan lebih banyak peluang. Tidak lama selepas rehat, Passlack membuat sepakan lencong ke arah bucu pintu gol dan Serra hampir menyempurnakan hantaran tersebut. Passlack hampir berjaya untuk meletakkan Jerman dihadapan pada minit 60, tetapi sekali lagi penjaga gol Rusia berjaya menghalangnya.

Schmidt masuk menggantikan Karakas, Jerman menguatkan lagi cengkaman mereka pada permainan dan terus dominasi permainan. Ia memberi kesan positif kepada keputusan. Akyol membuat hantaran silang yang sempurna dari arah kiri untuk Serra dalam kotak penalti dan memberikan Jerman mata untuk mendahului. Mereka mempunyai dua kali lagi peluang untuk mengukuhkan penguasaan namun permainan berakhir dengan 1-0, dan Jerman mara ke perlawanan akhir bertemu Perancis.

All you need to know about Bundesliga relegation this weekend

Six teams are still at risk of the drop in Germany's top flight. Ahead of the last matchday of the season, DW has worked through all the possible results this Saturday. Find out how your team can avoid the drop.

Finally, the Bundesliga's much-publicized relegation battle has reached its climax. This coming Saturday five teams could still go down. Even Hertha Berlin could also be forced into the relegation playoff match against a contender from the second division.

The most important games on the final matchday of the season will be Hannover vs. Freiburg and Paderborn against Stuttgart, while Hamburg vs. Schalke is also crucial for the northern Germany club.

These are the scenarios confronting the bottom six teams as they go into the final Bundesliga weekend of this season.

Hertha Berlin ...

... will stay in the first division next season if they win, draw or lose by only one goal in their match against Hoffenheim on Saturday.

... will have to play in the relegation playoff if they lose by two goals or more, if at the same time Hannover manages a draw against Freiburg and Stuttgart beats Paderborn.

... has basically no chance of going down directly, because they have a goal difference which is 12 goals better than Hamburg. 

Current position: 13th / 35 points / Goal difference: -15

SC Freiburg ...

... will stay in the first division if they win or draw against Hannover. They'll also stay up if they lose, as long as Stuttgart and Hamburg also do the same.

... will slide into the relegation playoff if they lose, if either Stuttgart or Hamburg manage a win.

... will go down directly if they lose and Stuttgart and Hamburg both win.

Current position: 14th / 34 points / Goal difference: -10

In the first half of the season Freiburg and Hannover drew 2-2 in Freiburg

Hannover 96...

... will stay in the first division next season if they beat Freiburg. A draw would only be sufficient if Stuttgart loses to Paderborn. Should Stuttgart win, Hertha Berlin would have to lose by two goals or more for Hannover to stay in the Bundesliga.

... will have to play in the relegation playoff if they draw with Freiburg and - at the same time - Stuttgart beats Paderborn and Hertha loses by less than two goals against Hoffenheim. If they lose by one goal, Hannover will head to the playoff too, if Stuttgart or Hamburg win. If they lose by two or more goals, the 96ers could also head to the playoff, as long as Stuttgart draws and Hamburg doesn't win.

... will go straight down if they lose and, at the same time, Stuttgart beats Paderborn and HSV beats Schalke.

Current position: 15th / 34 points / Goal difference: -17

VfB Stuttgart...

... will stay in the top flight if they beat Paderborn or draw with them. That's as long as Hannover loses to Freiburg by two goals or more and Hamburg loses to Schalke.

... has to play in the relegation playoff if they draw with Paderborn, Hamburg doesn't beat Schalke and Hannover loses by less than two goals against Freiburg. Stuttgart will also head to the relegation match after a draw, if HSV beats Schalke and Hannover loses by at least two goals against Freiburg.

... will go straight down if they lose against Paderborn. They'll also be playing in the second division next season if they draw, and Hamburg beat Schalke and Hannover loses by less than two goals.

Current position: 16th / 33 points / Goal difference: -19

Paderborn vs. Stuttgart is going to be hard-fought: one of the teams will definitely be going down

Hamburg ...

... could stay up if they beat Schalke this Saturday. At the same time, Stuttgart has to not win in Paderborn, and Hannover vs. Freiburg can't end in a draw.

... will play in the relegation if they win against the Royal Blues and at the same time, Stuttgart doesn't beat Paderborn and the game between Hannover and Freiburg ends in a draw. The other option: Stuttgart beats Paderborn and Hannover and Freiburg doesn't end in a draw. That would also mean relegation playoff time for Hamburg.

... will definitely be going down directly if they draw or lose against Schalke. They could even go down if they win in Gelsenkirchen. For that to happen, Stuttgart would have to beat Paderborn and Hannover and Freiburg would have to end in a draw though.

Current position: 17th / 32 points / Goal difference: -27

SC Paderborn...

... can only stay up in the first division via the relegation playoff against the third-best team from the second division.

... will get to the aforementioned relegation game if they win against Stuttgart, and at the same time Hamburg can't win against Schalke.

... will go straight down if they only manage a draw or loss against Stuttgart. Paderborn will also go straight down if they win against Stuttgart and Hamburg beats Schalke.

Current position: 18th / 31 points / Goal difference: -33

Simon Rolfes: The end of the quiet captain

"Memories are born in departure" read the sign held by Leverkusen's fans after the club's 2-0 win against Hoffenheim in their final home game of the season. Perhaps it was in that moment Simon Rolfes realised that it was all over. If it hadn't been clear when the club captain trotted off with just over 13 minutes to go, it certainly was when he and Stefan Reinartz (who is also due to leave the club) took to the stands to lead the post-game "Humba" song.

The quiet captain looked out of place with the megaphone, amongst the fans who appreciated him the most. He's used to being on the pitch and paying back the supporters with leadership, steadfastness and the occasional screamer.

There was no such sight on Saturday, but Rolfes did put in one of his infamously understated performances. The hosts profited from superior efficiency in front of goal against a Hoffenheim team capable of more than they delivered. Rolfes kept Leverkusen's midfield ticking over, picked up a yellow card and looked easily fit enough to play another year. The midfielder was integral, but not noticeable.

Just getting the job done: Rolfes loves to work hard in midfield

In fact, Rolfes spent most of his career unnoticed. He did well at Werder Bremen but left for second division side Aachen where he enjoyed an unlikely UEFA Cup run. A move to Leverkusen came in 2005/06 and once he became a core part of the defensive midfield, he never looked back.

An untimely injury hindered Rolfes from making Germany's 2010 World Cup squad. And with that, and the momentum the Germany squad was beginning to develop, the midfielder was left out of Joachim Löw's thinking. The game was changing and at 29, Rolfes was at the wrong end of his career to catch up.

Now 33, Rolfes will almost certainly head into playing a leadership role at a Bundesliga club one day. He's got some business acumen about him and his first port of call looks set to be working as an agent.

I can imagine him returning to Leverkusen one day though. Perhaps unnoticed by himself, but by those in the stadium (of which I was one on the weekend), Leverkusen have some work to do with their marketing and branding. The quality of their football is not in doubt - Roger Schmidt has created a versatile side who are keen to finally move from consistent top-four candidates to winners - but regular European football is different and the club don't quite look ready for the big stage.

Perhaps it's time for the quiet captain to become the quiet director.

Barcelona Plot €20m Gundogan Move After Secret Talks

​Barcelona are now favorites to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan after the German flew out to meet with the club hierarchy to discuss a move last week, according to Mundo Deportivo.

The 24-year-old looks certain to follow Jurgen Klopp through the exit door of the Signal Iduna Park and could be playing in Spain in a year's time.

Manchester United were believed to have wrapped up a deal for Gundogan, but the reports claiming so were found to be premature even though Dortmund announced shortly thereafter that the midfielder would not be signing a new contract.

Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City have also been linked with Gundogan although reports claim that Bayern have cooled their interest due to fears about his injury record.

The Germany international missed over a year of football after suffering a spinal injury in 2013 but has since made a full recovery.

Should Barcelona convince the €20million rated man to join, it would likely be another half a year at the very least until he'd be able to officially sign as their transfer embargo limits any activity until 2016.

Gundogan joined Borussia Dortmund in 2011 in a €6.5million move from FC Nuremburg and has since made 115 appearances for the club.

Season over for Benedikt Höwedes

FC Schalke 04 will be without Benedikt Höwedes for the season finale against Hamburger SV. The Royal Blues’ captain had to be withdrawn from Saturday’s meeting with SC Paderborn due to injury following a hefty challenge from Daniel Brückner in the 55th minute. He was taken to hospital and diagnosed with ligament damage in his left ankle. Höwedes will undergo further examinations over the coming week.

Guardiola Tells Premier League That Gotze Is Not for Sale

Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola has told the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea that midfield star Mario Gotze will not be leaving Bavaria this summer.

According to the ​international media, Guardiola is very happy with the player's attitude despite the fact he's not been regularly involved in matches recently. The Premier League trio were hoping to take advantage of the situation, but the Spaniard wants to keep him.

He said: ​"He helped us a lot. He's a young player with a lot of talent.

"It is my decision that he hasn't played much in recent games. I am very happy with his attitude. There is no discussion as to whether he stays or not."

HardinPep's compliments, Kruse's green pursuit and silly Schalke

Guardiola's flattering support

"I wish I had a thousand Dantes." After Brazilian center back Dante endured some of his worst form since joining the club, Bayern Munich head coach Pep Guardiola sprang to the support of his defender. He's hailed Bastian Schweinsteiger as a super player, but Spaniard Xabi Alonso - a yellow card machine of late - appears to be the preferred option. And his 37 million euro "chosen one" Mario Götze was on the bench for the most important game of the club's season. It's time someone started talking about Guardiola's hyperbole. Not only is not working, it's just not true anymore.

While protecting his players is admirable, flattery is a dangerous method particularly when standards are remarkably high. Head coaches in professional sport all over the world have turned to compliments when backs are against the wall. In a world saturated with clichés and phrases, the truth is harder and harder to find. In American football, the former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers Jim Harbaugh said his wide receiver Michael Crabtree had the best hands [catching] he had ever seen in the NFL. Harbaugh was fired unceremoniously at the end of the season and Crabtree was cut. It's wishful thinking but wouldn't it be nice if head coaches spoke a bit more truth? We can handle it.

Kruse follows the money

Max Kruse clearly has a career plan. After doing well at Freiburg, he moved up another level to Gladbach. After excelling there, he's now swapping Lucien Favre's high-flying group for Wolfsburg. This time, it's not a competition-based move - the pair have both qualified for the Champions League - but one about earning more for his trade. While Kruse fits into Gladbach's system better, his arrival gives Dieter Hecking much more variation in attack. Wolfsburg will be even more dangerous. Imagine Kevin de Bruyne linking with Ivan Perisic and Max Kruse? Sounds a bit like Gladbach those three at Gladbach this year.

As for Favre and his bunch, the key is not to struggle post departure. Mind you, they've hardly looked back since Marco Reus left so I wouldn't worry.

Something rotten in the state of Schalke

Headlines at Schalke! This isn't really news, but the indefinite suspension of Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sidney Sam is. I've never been in a Bundesliga changing rooms before or after a game, but I've played sport and there have always been and will always be players like Boateng in the team. At least, that's what type of player the Ghanaian appears to be. Clearly, enough was enough and that really doesn't surprise me. The mystery arrives when it comes to Sam and Marco Höger. The former has struggled with injuries, yes, but from the outside looking in he's always been a quiet, hard-working winger. Why now? The latter has been one of their best players this season, but now his future hangs in the balance? For all of Horst Heldt's trust-issue talk, there's no escaping how much of a circus this club is. From nearly beating Real Madrid to winning one of their last eight? Losing out on a Europa League spot to Borussia Dortmund after talk of a Champions League spot earlier in the season would be the end of Roberto di Matteo. In any case, Heldt should follow him out the door.

Wolfsburg have confirmed Mönchengladbach and Germany striker Max Kruse will join the club in the summer on a four-year deal. Kruse scored against Wolfsburg last month as the Foals bid to regain Champions League status. 

THE CUP IS IN BERLIN

The trophy has now been handed over to hosts Berlin

German President Joachim Gauck will be among the 75,000 fans present at the DFB Cup final. Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg will be the two sides in the final, which will take place in 19 days time on 30th May (20:00 CEST) in Berlin. The cup has now arrived in the capital.

At the traditional cup handover at the Red City Hall, representative of last year’s winner and record cup holders Bayern München Paul Breitner handed the trophy to DFB General Secretary Helmut Sandrock, who then passed it over to Berlin mayor Michael Müller. Fencing Olympic champion Britta Heidemann will bring the trophy into the ground at the final.

"The DFB Cup will be followed across the world"

This is the second trophy that Müller has been handed in a short space of time after the Champions League trophy arrived in the capital on 27th April ahead of the final there on 6th June. Müller has said that the final will be a great pleasure for him, just as the cup handover has been. “It’s particularly special to meet Klaus Allofs and Paul Breitner,” said the mayor. “I have known for a long time how nice it is to be mayor of Berlin. Today reminded me once more of how great that is.” The cup final will be extremely important for the capital as they will be able to show what a good host they are.

The final has been held in Berlin for the past 30 years. The first final in the capital back in 1985 ended in a 2-1 victory for Bayer Uerdingen over Bayern München. The DFB Cup has developed a lot since then and has become huge, as Helmut Sandrock emphasised: “The DFB Cup will be followed across the world and will be supported by fans and small clubs. That’s what makes it so special.”

Hawk-Eye to make debut in German football

There will also be a special moment of history at the final on 30th May 2015. For the first time, goal line technology will be used in a football match in Germany. Hawk-Eye should prevent incidents, such as Bayern’s Dante clearing Mats Hummels header from behind the line, from happening again.

“We’re delighted that we now have goal line technology,” said DFB General Secretary Sandrock. “Hawk-Eye has worked extremely well in the Premier League. There won’t be any queries and it won’t affect the game at all.”

Breitner: “Berlin is up there with Wembley or the Bernabeu”

Paul Breitner would rather not have handed over the trophy and he says that the defeat in the semi-finals against Dortmund is still having an effect. Or at least a little bit: “And especially with the slim chances of reaching another final in Berlin. Berlin is up there with Wembley or the Bernabeu.”

Breitner looked back on winning the cup for the first time in 1971 in an interview: “I was 19. We won the cup on the Saturday with ten men against Köln after extra time, I got married on the Sunday, I met up with the national team on Monday and then made my first cap on the Tuesday.”

Finale for Klopp

German President Joachim Gauck will be present at the final. 

Dortmund and Wolfsburg will go head-to-head in the final in two weeks time but first they go up against each other in the Bundesliga at the weekend. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs this season,” said BVB chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke, “but things aren’t looking too bad now from a results point of view.” The final in Berlin will be Jürgen Klopp’s final game as BVB manager. “The hardest times are behind us and it will be an emotional time because after that it will all be over. Jürgen can inspire his team to perform beyond their capabilities. It’s the perfect way to sign off.”

Midfielder Nuri Sahin, who is currently injured, is hoping that his manager can sign off with the title: “We’ve had and are having a unique time. We would have liked to have won the treble but unfortunately that’s no longer possible. The DFB Cup would be a brilliant ending.”

It’s a similar situation at Wolfsburg in terms of their season. Wolfsburg are back among the top sides and have already qualified for the Champions League. “We are very happy as so far it has been an amazing season. There is nothing to complain about, even if we hadn’t made the final,” said sporting director Klaus Allofs. For Wolfsburg keeper and captain Diego Benaglio the final is a “career highlight, which has huge importance for both the club and the city.” The Switzerland international has been in reached the semi-finals on five occasions but this will be his first time in the final in Berlin. And he believes that “we (Wolfsburg) have a good chance.”

Julian Draxler: A truly awful performance

It’s hard to put the defeat in Cologne into words, but Benedikt Höwedes and Julian Draxler still answered some questions from the press after the game. We were in the mixed zone to hear the reactions of the players.

Benedikt Höwedes:

Week by week, it’s getting harder for me find excuses for poor displays like that. It’s not going to sound authentic anymore if we can’t start performing on the pitch. We were missing everything that makes a Schalke team stand out; we had no passion, no commitment, no emotion. We couldn’t keep hold of the ball at the front, nor did we have Köln under any sort of control. There was too much space. We weren’t working without the ball. I’m puzzled as to why the problems we’ve talked about aren’t being addressed on the pitch. Everyone has to ask themselves whether they really implemented everything we planned to. It saddens me that we played the way we did.

Julian Draxler:

It was a truly awful performance. I don’t know what’s wrong with us. You will never win a Bundesliga game playing like that. I’m pretty sure that’s one of the worst games we’ve played in years. I’m glad that I didn’t have to watch that as a spectator. On a personal level, it wasn’t enough either. I’m trying my best after my injury, but I’m hitting my limits at the moment. We know that the fans are angry, and justifiably so. Nevertheless, we have to try and fight our way through this bad season together. 

KRUSE SET TO JOIN WOLFSBURG NEXT SEASON

Germany international Max Kruse will join VfL Wolfsburg from Borussia Mönchengladbach next season. The news was confirmed by Wolfsburg's general manager Klaus Allofs following his team's 3-1 victory in Paderborn on Sunday. "We are very happy that Max Kruse has decided to join VfL Wolfsburg. He is a type of striker that was still missing in our squad and he will definitely boost our quality and options in attack," explained Allofs. Kruse will sign a four-year-deal in Wolfsburg.

Kruse, 27-years-old, joined Gladbach from SC Freiburg in the summer of 2013. In Gladbach, he developed into a Germany international and earned first nominations from coach Joachim Löw for the friendlies against Ecuador and the United States in May 2013. He has so far made eleven appearances for Germany, scoring one goal. "I look forward to taking my next career step in Wolfsburg. I was immediately aware that I wanted to join VfL following good discussions with Klaus Allofs and Dieter Hecking (Wolfsburg's coach). Their playing style suits me and their squad is full of quality players," said Kruse. "My focus will be on Gladbach for the remaining two games. After the summer break, I will look to contribute to a successful future in Wolfsburg."

Wolfsburg coach Hecking, who led the team into the Champions League this season, said: "Max has great technical abilities. He is fast, scores lots of goals and provides assists. He has continually developed into a better player over the years and is currently a key performer at his club. His arrival will boost the quality of our attack, which will be very important looking ahead to the next season."

WOLFSBURG SECURE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TICKET

VfL Wolfsburg will make their return to the Champions League for the first time in five years, following their deserved 3-1 victory in Paderborn. The win also saw Wolfsburg reclaim second place, after Gladbach had temporarily overtaken them on matchday 32. SC Paderborn on the other hand remain fully involved in the relegation battle, currently finding themselves in 17th place. 

Wolfsburg, winless in three prior to matchday 32, are now guaranteed a third place finish and will therefore return to Europe's elite club competition only for the second time in the club's history. Centre back Klose and a brace from Bas Dost provided Wolfsburg with the required goals against Paderborn, who were only able to bag a consolation goal through Lukas Rupp in second half injury time. 

"I feel relieved," said Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs after the game. "Our performances in recent weeks weren't always that straightforward." He announced the signing of Germany international Max Kruse from Borussia Mönchengladbach for the coming season after the game. "I can confirm that Kruse will sign a four-year deal with Wolfsburg."