Latest news with #B04
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Erik ten Hag is a serious candidate for Bayer Leverkusen job
As reported by Kicker and Florian Plettenberg, Erik ten Hag is a serious candidate for the Bayer Leverkusen head coach job. B04 has shortlisted the former Manchester United boss, whilst the club gathers information on him. Advertisement The Dutchman has been linked with a move to the Bundesliga prior to these rumours, but with Borussia Dortmund. Ten Hag was seen at several BVB games. However, a move never materialised. B04 are yet to begin talks with ten Hag, and that's mainly because of Xabi Alonso. The club is still waiting for a decision from the coach, should he wish to leave for Real Madrid this summer. Reports linking Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid are increasing following the news that current Real head coach Carlo Ancelotti is close to completing his move to Brazil. Reports in Spain suggest that 'Xabi Alonso expects news' very soon. For Alonso, the opportunity to manage Real will most likely be too good to turn down. With this in mind, B04 are clearly putting a contingency plan in motion. GGFN | Jamie Allen
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bundesliga matchday 29 recap: Der Klassiker thriller, relegation battles, European hustling, and much more.
Bundesliga matchday 29 recap: Der Klassiker thriller, relegation battles, European hustling, and much more. It was another thrilling weekend of Bundesliga football during matchday 29. From stuttering at the top to relegation battles as well as several 90th-minute winners, there are plenty of stories to get stuck into. Here is your recap and talking points from matchday 29 in the Bundesliga. Hoffenheim Safe, Ilzer Not Hoffenheim captain Andrej Kramarić scored a first-half brace to earn TSG Hoffenheim a huge win 2-0 against Mainz 05. The win puts TSG in 14th on 30 points in what was their first victory in five Bundesliga matches. With a much nicer cushion on the bottom three, you feel that Hoffenheim will be safe this season. Advertisement However, the same can't be said for their head coach, Christian Ilzer. Despite this huge win, it looks to be the case that head coach Christian Ilzer won't be around beyond the season. As reported by GGFN via Kicker, there appears to be a rift between players and coach that leaves the TSG front office leaning towards sacking Ilzer at the season's end and installing Paderborn head coach Lukas Kwasniok instead. Bayer Leverkusen & Bayern Munich Both Stall Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich both drew this weekend, meaning it's as you were at the summit of the table. Early on Saturday, B04 were held to a goalless draw at home to Union Berlin. The one positive for B04 was the return of Florian Wirtz, who has been out of action for five weeks through injury. Wirtz played the last 30 minutes but was unable to help them find a winner. When asked whether or not the Bundesliga title race is over, head coach Xabi Alonso said: 'The feeling right now is that it's more difficult. We had a clear situation, and now we have to wait. 'But yes, we had an opportunity today and we missed it, but we still have five games. But the current feeling isn't euphoria. We need to wait and see but we're ready for everything and need to accept it.' Advertisement Later on Saturday evening, Bayern played out a thrilling 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker. Though Bayern will be disappointed not to capitalise on B04's draw, they haven't lost ground at the same time and remain favourites to win the title. Speaking after what was his last Der Klassiker Bayern veteran Thomas Müller told Sky Germany: 'It was a game of missed opportunities. I could have scored [in the 40th minute]. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that Emré [Can] was on the ground and that cancelled out the offside. I could have taken the ball and scored the 1-0. A 1-0 lead against Dortmund at home might have given us more adrenaline.' Freiburg Edge Past Gladbach SC Frieburg scored a late goal to ensure they leapfrog Borussia Mönchengladbach into 6th. The game got off to a flying start, with both goals coming in the 14th and 16th minute. From there, however, it was a cagey affair. However, Johan Manzambi's 90th-minute header sent the away fans into ecstasy and give Freiburg a huge boost for their European hopes. What's more, this was Manzambi's first Freiburg goal, and what a time to get it! Reflecting upon the moment after the game, Manzambi explained: Advertisement 'There were too many thoughts [in my head after scoring the goal],' noting that an image of his brother flashed in his mind before his teammates (noticing he wasn't celebrating) jumped all over him, 'What kind of goal celebration will I do? He [my brother] always told me that I would score soon. The goal was him today.' Freiburg now sit in 6th on 45 points, just three points off RB Leipzig in 4th. For Gladbach, all is not lost as they're in 7th on 44 points. Don't be surprised to see the European places go all the way to the final matchday of the season. St. Pauli Win Relegation Battle, Bochum Lose Late On St. Pauli scored a 90th-minute winner to beat Holstein Keil 1-2 in the Nord Derby on Saturday afternoon. It was a game that Keil could not lose; even a draw wouldn't be enough in truth. However, St. Pauli scored a scrappy goal right at the death to surely ensure that Keil will go down this season. For Pauli, it was a first Bundesliga win after being a goal down, and now means that they're 9 points clear of automatic relegation and 7 points clear of the relegation play-off. Relegation. Advertisement In the Ruhr region, Bochum lost to ten men FC Augsburg 1-2. Bochum were pushing for a winner, but a sucker punch right at the death inflicts more misery on their campaign. For Bochum, it means they're still in the automatic relegation places and still two points off Heidenheim in 16th. The likelihood is that Bochum won't get automatic safety this season. Their best bet is to pip Heidenheim in 16th and battle it out in the relegation play-off. Around The Grounds Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, RB Leipzig claimed 4th spot for now after a 2-3 win on Friday evening away at VfL Wolfsburg. Eintracht Frankfurt breezed past Heidenheim 3-0, whilst Oliver Burke scored twice to earn Werder Bremen an impressive win away at VfB Stuttgart. Now above Stuttgart, Bremen are just three points off 6th – they couldn't, could they? GGFN | Jamie Allen
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Xabi Alonso talks tactics, Sebastian Hoeneß, and VfB Stuttagrt: 'It's going to be demanding'
During a press conference on Friday afternoon, Xabi Alonso spoke with Get German Football News about VfB Stuttgart, Sebastian Hoeneß, and the demands that a game against the Swabians brings. Alonso's side travel to 8th place Stuttgart ahead of Sunday evening's game this weekend. They'll be looking for an immediate response to last matchday's 0-2 loss to Werder Bremen. A disappointing defeat regardless, but the fact they failed to close the gap on Bayern, themselves losing last weekend, made it all the more disappointing. Games between B04 and Stuttgart are always well anticipated by Bundesliga fans. In their last four meetings in all competitions, we've witnessed 13 goals and even a penalty shootout. GGFN questioned Alonso on the threat VfB carries and how he plans on nullifying Stuttgart's attacking threat. 'I think we know each other very well, these are the games you always look forward to and enjoy watching.' He continued: 'We know their qualities. They have good intensity and know when to trigger the press. They get good distance between players and can create space in order for their forwards to run into.' The B04 coach then spoke about his Stuttgart counterpart, Sebastian Hoeneß, and what B04 must do in order to win. 'They have been a great time to watch for a while now under Sebastian Hoeneß. We will have to do many good things to stop them for sure. It will be demanding [for our players].' Leverkusen are still without talisman Florian Wirtz, who is still recovering from an ankle injury, which will see him sidelined until early April. GGFN | Jamie Allen
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Weekend Preview: Bundesliga Matchday 22
There is plenty to be excited about ahead of matchday 22 in the Bundesliga. European hopefuls are set to battle it out, Borussia Dortmund will look to kick on from their Champions League victory, and then there's the small matter of the top two, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich taking centre stage on Saturday. This is your weekend preview preview for matchday 22 in the Bundesliga. The late kick-off on Saturday could go a long way in deciding the title. After B04's draw to VfL Wolfsburg last week, they can't afford to lose against league leaders Bayern. If they do, the reigning champions will be 11 points behind Bayern with 12 games to go. Though a lot can happen in 12 games, it would be completely out of Leverkusen's hands. B04 have the benefit of being rested for the full week. Bayern travelled to Glasgow midweek in their first of two games against Celtic to determine who goes through to the Last 16 in the Champions League. Bayern won the match 2-1 with goals from Micheal Olise and Harry Kane. Asked if Saturday's game feels like a final to Leverkusen, head coach Xabi Alonso was quick to downplay the occasion: 'No, not a final. Of course after the game we'll see how big the gap is. But it's definitely not a final.' In the reverse fixture in Munich, B04 played very defensively, rode their luck at times, and came away with a draw. On the face of it, Bayern would have been the more disappointed of the two teams from that particular game. Alonso isn't blind to Bayern's strength but is also determined to play his own way at the BayArena: 'It's another Bayern. The energy, the intensity, the structure, they're doing very well. They're destroying many opponents, they create many chances and don't concede many. It's going to be a very demanding game for us defensively. But we want to play our football as well and find the right balance.' As reported by GGFN earlier in January, in-stadium referee announcements could happen for the first time in the Bundesliga this week. The practice has been in place since the last matchday but no incident occurred for it to happen. The new method is to try to save any possible confusion when it comes to VAR decisions. In the past, the referee has stayed silent and only indicated with their hands as to what the decision is. This weekend could see a change to this and hopefully make VAR a tiny bit more bearable – Certainly something to watch out for. VfL Bochum's Myron Boadu has scored as many goals as Harry Kane in the second half of the season – 5 goals in 221 minutes of football. The striker is in hot form right now as Bochum looks to complete the great escape. They host BVB on Saturday with the hopes of causing another big upset. Boadu will certainly be a player to watch out for during matchday 22. RB Leipzig are unbeaten against FC Augsburg in their previous 14 matches. In fact, in their last 17 matches in all competitions, FCA have only won once against the Saxons. It's one of the Bundesliga's most one-sided ties right now, however, with FCA playing at home on Friday night, anything is possible. Friday FC Augsburg vs RB Leipzig (19:30pm) Saturday Union Berlin vs Borussia Monchengladbach (14:30pm) FC St. Pauli vs SC Freiburg (14:30pm) VfL Bochum vs Borussia Dortmund (14:30pm) VfB Stuttgart vs VfL Wolfsburg (14:30pm) Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich (17:30pm) Sunday Werder Bremen vs Hoffenheim (14:30pm) Eintracht Frankfurt vs Holstein Kiel (16:30pm) FC Heidenheim vs Mainz 05 (18:30pm) *All matches are listed in GMT. GGFN | Jamie Allen
