By Rich

Tom Alexander Rothe is a 17-year-old left-back for Borussia Dortmund. Rothe was born on October 29, 2004 and spent his youth career playing for FC St. Pauli before joining his current club in 2021. His senior career continued at Dortmund beginning in 2022, where he scored his first Bundesliga goal on the same day he made his debut for Dortmund, on April 16, 2022, in a 6:1 win over visitors VfL Wolfsburg. Rothe has also made 4 appearances for Germany’s U17 and U19 squads since 2020, scoring 1 goal.

By Rich

Max Kruse had a hat-trick and Jonas Wind had a brace on Friday as hosts VfL Wolfsburg notched a decisive 5:0 victory over visitors 1. FSV Mainz 05. Wind’s first goal came just 8 minutes into the match, and was followed by Kruse’s first goal on a penalty kick in the 24th minute. Kruse increased the lead to 3:0 with another goal in the 35th minute, and Wind scored his second goal in the 42nd minute. The match’s final goal came in extra time at the end of the first half, when Max Kruse took advantage of the ball off Yannick Gerhardt. The hat-trick was Kruse’s first since November 2017, and Kruse now has 12 Bundesliga goals for the Wolves. Kruse’s first goal was the 800th goal Mainz has conceded in its history in the Bundesliga. On Saturday, all eyes turn to the 106th Klassiker between hosts FC Bayern München and visitors Borussia Dortmund, in what could well be the most important match of the season. Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski has accumulated 32 goals so far this season, propelling his club to a first-place position, 9 points clear of 2nd-place Dortmund going into this weekend. A victory on Saturday for the hosts would land them their 31st Bundesliga title. Dortmund are coming off a 6:1 victory over Wolfsburg last weekend, a victory that included 2 goals from striker Erling Haaland, ending his run of 5 matches without a goal. The reverse fixture earlier this season was won by Bayern, thanks to a brace from Lewandowski. In fact, Bayern have won the last 6 consecutive Bundesliga Klassikers, and haven’t lost at home to Dortmund since April 12, 2014. Elsewhere in the league on Saturday, RB Leipzig and 1. FC Union Berlin will have their second encounter in just 3 days, when Leipzig host Union. The 2 clubs met in the DFB Pokal semi-finals on Wednesday, and Leipzig prevailed 2:1 thanks to Emil Forsberg’s 92nd-minute goal. Both clubs are enjoying a fine run during the Rückrunde, with Leipzig picking up more points (32) than even Bayern (29), and Union on course for their highest-ever league finish. Looking ahead to Sunday, 3 of the clubs still in danger of relegation at the end of the season will play, when Augsburg travel to Bochum and Stuttgart travel to Hertha. Depending on results elsewhere this weekend, Bochum could secure their return next season if they defeat Augsburg, for whom automatic relegation is still a mathematical possibility. Both Hertha and Stuttgart must avoid defeat when they meet, as a loss could spell disaster for either. The clubs last played each other on Matchday 14, a game that ended in a draw.

By Rich

Kevin Schade is a 20-year-old winger for SC Freiburg. Schade was born on November 27, 2001 in Potsdam, Germany, and spent his youth career playing for SV Babelsberg 03 from 2008 to 2014, Energie Cottbus from 2014 to 2018, and SC Freiburg from 2018 to 2019. He then went on to make his debut for Freiburg’s reserve side in July 2019 against Bahlinger SC, and scored his first goal a week later in a 2:1 defeat to Kickers Offenbach. In December 2019, he signed his first professional contract with the club, and has since made 8 appearances for the senior squad. Schade has also made 13 appearances for Germany’s U18, U19, U20, and U21 squads since 2019, scoring 7 goals.

By Rich

Bundesliga competition resumes on Saturday with just 4 matchdays remaining in the current season. Erling Haaland and Borussia Dortmund will host Max Kruse and VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday, and Haaland has gone 5 games without scoring since his return from injury at the beginning of March. Dortmund are 9 points behind Bayern with 5 games left to play, including Der Klassiker in München next week. Dortmund can secure their spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League group stage if they better Freiburg’s result against Bochum, also on Saturday. Wolfsburg have failed to win against Dortmund in 13 meetings, and did not even score in their last 5 outings to Dortmund. The big match on Saturday is the late encounter between hosts Borussia Mönchengladbach and nearby 1. FC Köln. The hosts are currently on a 4-match unbeaten streak, and are now 11 points clear of the relegation zone. Köln are in eighth place and just 1 point off the European qualification spots. Köln striker Anthony Modeste has 15 goals this season, and has scored 3 goals in 7 games for Köln against Gladbach. Although Köln have won the last 2 derbies, they have more Bundesliga losses against Gladbach than any other opponent. One other match to watch on Saturday will be that between hosts FC Augsburg and visitors Hertha Berlin, as the latter are desperate to climb out of the relegation zone. Augsburg have collected 10 points from the last 6 games, building a 6-point buffer between them and Hertha in 17th place and Bielefeld in 16th place. Hertha are currently tied on points with Bielefeld and just 1 point behind 15th-place Stuttgart, who will be coming to the German capital next weekend. Bielefeld will have to host Bayern on Sunday, a club they would rather not face in the closing weeks of the season while sitting in the relegation playoff spot. Bayern are, of course, concentrating now on collecting their tenth consecutive Bundesliga title, a title that could be theirs as soon as next weekend. Robert Lewandowski meanwhile has his sights set on a fifth consecutive top scorer’s cannon, and could set a new league record on Sunday of 18 Bundesliga away goals. The biggest match on Sunday will be that between hosts Bayer 04 Leverkusen and visitors RB Leipzig, who occupy the third and fourth spots in the table and who are separated by just 1 point. Leverkusen have been powered by Patrik Schick, whose 20 goals have helped keep his club in the top-4 mix for most of the season. He is opposed on Sunday by Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku, who has collected 17 goals and 12 assists. Leverkusen have won just 2 of 11 league meetings with Leipzig, but did win the reverse fixture earlier this season. As Leipzig prepare to play their 200th Bundesliga game, they have accumulated a record of 106 wins and just 43 losses.