By Rich

​Hosts 1. FC Union Berlin claimed an important 2:1 win on Friday over visitors Borussia Dortmund. Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi scored the match’s first goal in the 57th minute, with a header off a corner from Christopher Trimmel. Dortmund tied the match just 3 minutes later, when Youssoufa Moukoko became the Bundesliga’s youngest scorer, at the age of 16 years and 28 days. However, Union’s Marvin Friedrich scored the game-winning goal in the 78th minute, off another corner from Trimmel. This was Union’s first win in 5 league games and lifts them into 5th place going into the rest of the weekend’s matches. Moukoko’s goal broke the record previously held by Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, who is 1 year and 6 days older than Moukoko, and Marvin Friedrich has now scored 4 goals this season, the most of any defender in the league. On Saturday, all eyes will turn to Leverkusen as the club currently in first place in the league hosts the club in second place, Bayern, and just 1 point separates the 2 teams. Leverkusen are coming off a victory in the Rhine Derby earlier this week against Cologne, and could finish the year at the top of the table with either a win or a draw. Leverkusen are unbeaten so far this season and trainer Peter Bosz can welcome back Kerem Demirbay, who was out for the last 3 weeks, although Sven Bender is still sidelined with a knee injury. Top scorer Lucas Alario is also expected to start, after 2 consecutive substitute appearances, and Jamaican Leon Bailey, who has either scored or assisted in 7 of Leverkusen’s last 9 league games. The club will have to contend, however, with Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski, who recently became only the 3rd player to score 250 goals. Bayern will be without midfielder Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich may only see play as a substitute. Leverkusen have won 2 of their 3 most recent encounters with Bayern, and have lost just 3 of their last 11 home league fixtures against them. Leverkusen is also one of Lewandowski’s toughest opponents: he has only scored 4 goals in 17 Bundesliga matches against them, including 2 in 9 with Bayern. Competition in 2020 will conclude on Sunday, when Freiburg host Hertha and Wolfsburg host Stuttgart. Just 1 point separates Freiburg and Hertha in the table, while Wolfsburg could move into 4th place with a win. The season resumes after the winter break on Saturday, January 2nd.

By Rich

​Noah Katterbach is a 19-year-old left back for 1. FC Köln. Katterbach was born on April 13, 2001 in Simmerath, Germany, and spent his youth career playing for TuS DJK Dreiborn from 2004 to 2008, and 1. FC Köln from 2008 to 2019. His senior career began at Köln in 2019, where he has already made 29 appearances for both 1. FC Köln II and 1. FC Köln. Katterbach has also played for Germany’s U16, U17, U18, U19, and U20 squads since 2017, scoring 2 goals in 23 appearances, and has won the Fritz Walter Medal in Gold in 2 consecutive years: 2019 and 2020. The medal honors the best German player in their respective age group.