Latest news with #3.Liga
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
DFB Pokal Final Preview: Arminia Bielefeld vs Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart will look to lift their first DFB Pokal for the first time since 1997, but they will have to overcome 3. Liga side Arminia Bielefeld who are enjoying a fairytale season. After winning the 3. Liga and gaining promotion back into the 2. Bundesliga, Arminia – who have knocked out Bundesliga opposition in the last four rounds – will look to trouble Sebastian Hoeneß' Stuttgart. After beating Hannover 2-0, Michél Kniat's Arminia – captained by American Mael Corboz – eliminated Union Berlin (2-0), Freiburg (3-1), Werder Bremen (2-1) and last season's Bundesliga and German Cup winners, Bayer Leverkusen (2-1). Advertisement Stuttgart meanwhile beat Preußen Münster (5-0), Kaiserslautern (2-1), Jahn Regensburg (3-0), Augsburg (1-0) and RB Leipzig (3-1) to reach their first German Cup final since 2013, where they lost to Jupp Heynckes Bayern Munich (3-2). Arminia Bielefeld vs VfB Stuttgart Team News Bielefeld have been without Nassim Boujellab (Knee) for their last eight league games and the Moroccan midfielder will miss Saturday's clash against Stuttgart, who will be without their own midfield maestro Angelo Stiller (Ankle). The German – who is being courted by Europe's top clubs – suffered an injury in the penultimate matchday of the Bundesliga season. Arminia Bielefeld vs VfB Stuttgart Likely Line-ups Arminia Bielefeld: Kersken – Schneider, Russo, Großer – Hagman, Schreck, Corboz (c), Oppie – Sarenren Bazee, Wörl – Grodowski. VfB Stuttgart: Nübel – Jeltsch, Chabot, Hendriks – Vagnoman, Karazor (c), Millot, Mittelstädt – Leweling, Undav – Woltemade. GGFN | Daniel Pinder
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mike Tullberg extends with BVB to become U23 head coach
Borussia Dortmund have agreed a new deal with Under-19 head coach Mike Tullberg, the club have announced. In the process of signing on until summer 2028, Tullberg will also take over the BVB U23 team which are currently in the Advertisement The Danish boss is held in high regard by many Schwarzgelben fans after he briefly became the first team's interim head coach after Nuri Sahin's sacking. During that period, Tullberg managed a 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen as well as a 3-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk and 2-1 success against Heidenheim.
New York Times
02-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bayer Leverkusen call for ‘penalty' over ‘unwatered' pitch in Arminia Bielefeld cup shock
Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro urged the German Football Association (DFB) to 'impose a penalty' on Arminia Bielefeld for not watering their pitch as the Bundesliga champions lost 2-1 to the third division side in the DFB-Pokal. Despite taking the lead through Jonathan Tah, Leverkusen lost to goals by Marius Worl and Maximilian Grosser, in one of the biggest shocks the competition has seen in recent years. Advertisement Free flowing football is typically easier to play on a wet pitch, as it allows the ball to be passed and moved at greater speed. Leverkusen, who won the Bundesliga and Pokal double last season, are one of the most dangerous attacking sides in Germany, with Xabi Alonso's team favouring such a style of play. However, they were unable to enact it at the SchucoArena where the surface was noticeably worn and dry. 'I was annoyed before the game that the pitch had not been watered,' Carro said. 'I must speak to (Andreas) Rettig (DFB Managing Director for Sport) about that.' 'It was a collective failure,' Carro added, referring to a poor Leverkusen performance. 'The expectation was that we would deliver our best performance today, but we didn't deliver. Still, it annoys me that the pitch wasn't watered. That's a regulatory issue. The DFB should impose a penalty. That doesn't work. That is not acceptable.' Carro later congratulated Bielefeld, who sit fourth in the and who have beaten four Bundesliga sides — Union Berlin, Freiburg, Werder Bremen and now Leverkusen — to take their place in next month's final at the Olympiastadion. 'They deserved to win,' Carro conceded. Alonso was magnanimous in defeat, saying in his post-match press conference that: 'Everyone is disappointed, but I have to congratulate Arminia Bielefeld; they played better. We are disappointed, but that's football.' Helden! Legenden! #dfbpokal [image or embed] — DSC Arminia Bielefeld (@ 1 April 2025 at 22:43 Contacted by The Athletic on Wednesday, a Leverkusen spokesperson said that Carro was in no way using the pitch to explain the loss, adding that he was expressing concerns he felt before the game began. After the game, Michael Mutzel, Bielefeld's sporting director, was asked whether the pitch had been prepared in line with tournament regulations. He was definitive, suggesting that the club, who will now play in the final for the first time in their history, were just following their normal routine. Advertisement 'We talked to the referee about it before the game. If the pitch has been watered in the morning, then it doesn't need to be watered again (before the match). Watering on the day is enough. 'We don't do that (water pitches before kick-off) for our league matches. So, why should we do that today? We would be at a disadvantage if we watered the pitch.' Bielefeld's head coach, Michel Kniat — who, at 39, has never managed beyond level — was also asked about the dry pitch. 'Those are our rules here,' he told journalists after the game. 'We would also have liked one more day off,' he said, mischievously referring to the fact that Leverkusen had an extra 24 hours to prepare, having played their last league game, against Bochum, on Friday night. Bielefeld drew 2-2 with Hannover's II team on Saturday afternoon. The DFB did not respond to The Athletic's request for comment, but regulations state that a pitch used for Pokal games must be watered on the day of the game, but not precisely when. The competition — which is comprised of all 34 teams from the top two divisions, the top-four sides in the and 21 cup winners from regional associations — often sees big clubs travel to smaller, sometimes amateur clubs. When Pep Guardiola was Bayern Munich head coach between 2013 and 2016, his side would periodically find their quick, possession-based football stymied by bone-dry pitches during the early rounds. Guardiola's Bayern won the Pokal in two of his three seasons, so it was rarely successful, but it is an established tactic for levelling the figurative playing field and Leverkusen are not the first Bundesliga team to encounter it. Nor, unless the rules are now tightened, will they be the last. Arminia Bielefeld will face the winner of Stuttgart and RB Leizpig in Berlin on May 24.
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Arminia Bielefeld Shock Bayer Leverkusen To Reach German Cup Final
Arminia Bielefeld has shocked Bayer Leverkusen to reach the DFB Pokal final for the first time in club history. The 3. Liga side beat the German champion and DFB Pokal title defender 2-1 thanks to goals by Marius Wörl (20') and Maximilian Großer (45+3'). Jonathan Tah's early lead (17') would ultimately not be enough for Leverkusen. "I am so proud of the team," Bielefeld head coach Michel Kniat said. "The whole region is feeling this. No one will be sleeping tonight.' It is a historic club. Bielefeld becomes just the fourth third-division club to reach the DFB Pokal finale. The other third-division clubs were Hertha Berlin II in 1994, Energie Cottbus in 1997, and Union Berlin in 2001. All three eventually lost the final against Bundesliga sides. Hertha Berlin II, Hertha's reserve side, lost to Bayer Leverkusen (1-0), Energie Cottbus fell to Stuttgart (2-0), and Union Berlin was defeated by Schalke (2-0). Indeed, a lower division side hasn't won the DFB Pokal since Hannover 96 won it while in the 2. Bundesliga in 1993. Kaiserslautern, which reached the final as a second division club last year, won it in 1996 just a week after being relegated to the second division. In other words, Bielefeld could write history when they face the winner of Wednesday's semifinal between VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig on May 24, 2025, in Berlin's Olympiastadion. For the club, it is already a historic night. Founded in 1905, Die Arminia has never won a major trophy or reached the final of a major cup competition. How did Bielefeld overcome giants Leverkusen? "We defended with a lot of passion, and that was the key,' Kniat said. 'We worked extremely hard. It was great to go into the break with the lead, and in the second half, we kept up the pressure for what was a deserved win.' The data echoes Kniat's observations. Indeed, at times, it didn't feel like Bielefeld was a club playing two divisions below Leverkusen. The team in blue outworked Leverkusen and had the better chances, finishing the game with a higher xG (1.43 to 0.95) than the visitors. Leverkusen, which really struggled in midfield, also barely outplayed the 3. Liga side. The game would finish with a pretty even 48-52% split in possession and eight to 13 shots on goal. In terms of passes played, it was also even, with Bielefeld completing 226 of 360 passes versus Leverkusen's 243 of 382. With all that in mind, Bielefeld deserves the chance to play for the club's first-ever major title in Berlin. It would also qualify Bielefeld for a European club competition for the first time in club history. Even more critical are the financials. German magazine Kicker reported on Tuesday that Bielefeld's run to the semifinal has already earned the club €7.5 million ($8.1 million). Reaching the final guarantees another €2.88 million ($3.1 million), which would grow to €4.32 million ($4.66 million) should Bielefeld win the final. The two final participants also receive a share of the ticket sales. As a result, the income from the game could grow to around €12 million ($13 million). If Bielefeld wins the title, it will qualify for the Europa League league phase. According to Swiss Ramble, Hoffenheim earned €12 million ($13 million) from playing in the Europa League league phase last season. If Bielefeld reached the competition, it would see a similar revenue. Those are enormous sums for a club fighting for promotion from the 3. Liga. After matchday 30, Bielefeld is in fourth place, one point behind Saarbrücken, which occupies the promotion-relegation playoff spot, and five points behind second-placed Cottbus.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arminia Bielefeld vs. Bayer Leverkusen preview: Team news and predicted lineups
Arminia Bielefeld vs. Bayer Leverkusen preview: Team news and predicted lineups Having eliminated three Bundesliga sides - Union Berlin, Freiburg and Werder Bremen - from the DFB-Pokal, 3. Liga side Arminia Bielefeld are now just one step away from the final. However, the semi-final arguably represents the toughest step yet, as Michél Kniat's side welcome reigning German double winners Bayer Leverkusen to the SchücoArena on Tuesday night. Advertisement "Leverkusen is probably the toughest task of all. But we want to do everything we can to reach the cup final," said Arminia's sporting managing director, Michael Mutzel, ahead of the game. Bielefeld, fourth in the 3. Liga, can take heart from the fact that they're on a three-match unbeaten run after a 2-2 draw with Hannover 96's second team at the weekend. But they will need an exceptional performance to upset the champions, who are coming off the back of a 3-1 win over Bochum. Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso knows his side are heavy favorites, but is not taking anything for granted. Advertisement "It is another great opportunity for us to reach a final. But we have a lot of respect for Bielefeld. They have beaten three Bundesliga teams. We are ready, expect a tough opponent and know that the cup can be a crazy competition. We have to play well," Xabi Alonso said on Monday. In terms of absentees, Arminia Bielefeld will be without Nassim Boujellab (knee) and Roberts Uldrikis (knee). Leverkusen are without long-term absentees Jeanuel Belocian (knee), Mario Hermoso (chest), Martin Terrier (Achilles) as well as Florian Wirtz (ankle) and Edmond Tapsoba (hamstring). On the bright side for Die Werkself, Nathan Tella will be back in the squad if he has no problems in the final training session. Advertisement Compared to Friday's 3-1 win over Bochum, Matej Kovar could replace Lukas Hradecky in goal, while Amine Adli could start alongside Victor Boniface in place of Patrik Schick after impressing from the bench. Click here to see our predicted Arminia Bielefeld vs. Bayer Leverkusen lineups.
