By Rich M

Ole Pohlmann is a 22-year-old winger for Borussia Dortmund. Pohlmann was born on April 5, 2001 in Minden, Germany, and spent his youth career playing for Hannover 96 until 2015 and VfL Wolfsburg from 2015 to 2020. He made his professional debut for VfL Wolfsburg II on February 23, 2020, coming on as a substitute in the 74th minute in a 4:2 victory over Eintracht Norderstedt. In July 2021, he signed with Borussia Dortmund II following their promotion to the 3. Liga. He was promoted to Dortmund’s first team on June 28, 2023 on a 2-year contract. Pohlmann has also made 25 appearances for Germany’s U15, U16, U17, and U18 squads, scoring 5 goals.

By Rich M

​With just a few weeks left in the current Bundesliga season, Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the table when they host Hoffenheim on Saturday. It’s the first time in more than a month since Leverkusen plays ahead of 2nd-place Bayern, and the table leaders could expand their advantage to 13 points. Xabi Alonso’s squad have won their last 7 league fixtures, and have dropped points just once in 2024. In addition to a league title that could be captured in as few as 3 contests, Leverkusen are also dreaming of a DFB Pokal victory and the UEFA Europa League. Alonso also confirmed on Friday that he will be staying with the club next season, and the club’s 22 league wins this campaign is a new club record for an entire league season. The big match this weekend, though is the Klassiker later on Saturday, featuring hosts FC Bayern München and visitors Borussia Dortmund. Saturday’s match is the 110th between the 2 sides, and Bayern have been in fine form recently, including 3 wins in as many games in all competitions and 16 goals. 6 of those goals have come from Harry Kane, who also picked up a hat trick in the reverse fixture earlier this season. Although Kane has been out recently with an ankle injury, he has returned to fitness. Missing from Saturday’s game, though, will be captain Manuel Neuer, who has picked up a muscle fiber tear. Bayern are unbeaten in their last 10 Klassikers and have also won 9 straight games at home against Dortmund. The visitors, however, are also enjoying a decent run of 4 wins on the bounce in all competitions for the first time in a year. Dortmund’s firepower is currently driven by joint-top scorers Niclas Füllkrug and Donyell Malen, and they are complemented by Julian Brandt, who is the division’s third-highest assist provider. Saturday’s game will be Thomas Tuchel’s 50th in charge of Bayern, while Jadon Sancho and Marco Reus are the only surviving players from the last time Dortmund defeated Bayern in the league, in November 2018. Looking ahead to Sunday, Stuttgart’s MHP Arena will become the first stadium to host 1,000 Bundesliga matches when Heidenheim visit. The stadium has operated since the 1930s and has been a venue for top-flight contests since the 1. Bundesliga was founded in 1963. Although VfB Stuttgart themselves have not yet contested 1,000 matches in the top flight, the MHP Arena has also been used by the Stuttgarter Kickers, who were in the top flight in the 1988/89 and 1991/92 seasons. Matchday 27 will conclude later on Sunday when VfL Bochum 1848, who are 6 points clear of relegation, host last-place SV Darmstadt 98. The 2 sides lead the league in the number of goals conceded: 54 for Bochum and 65 for Darmstadt.

By Rich

Maximilian Bauer is a 24-year-old centre-back and right-back for FC Augsburg. Bauer was born on February 9, 2000 in Windorf, Germany, and spent his youth career playing for Grün-Weiss Deggendorf until 2014, and SpVgg Greuther Fürth from 2014 to 2018. His senior career continued at Fürth, where he scored 3 goals in 86 appearances between 2018 and 2022. On February 2, 2022, he signed a 5-year contract with FC Augsburg, effective from July 1, 2022. He has since scored 1 goal in 30 appearances for the club. Bauer also scored 1 goal in 12 appearances for Germany’s U18, U19, and U21 squads between 2018 and 2023.

By Rich M.

​Leipzig advanced to 4th place in the table on Friday with a 5:1 win over hosts 1. FC Köln. Leipzig’s goals came from Xavi Simons in the 15th minute, Loïs Openda in the 63rd and 67th minutes, Amadou Haidara in the 70th minute, and Yussuf Poulsen in the 82nd minute. Köln’s only goal came in the 18th minute, from Sargis Adamyan, and it was his first league goal in a year and a half. The fight for the league title continues on Saturday when FC Bayern München visit SV Darmstadt 98. The hosts are facing relegation to the 2. Bundesliga, as they are 6 points behind the relegation play-off spot and 12 points out of safety, thanks to a run of 18 games without a win. That winless streak includes a 6:0 loss to Augsburg in Darmstadt’s last home game and an 8:0 loss in the reverse fixture at Bayern. Darmstadt have conceded a league-leading 60 goals this season. Bayern are coming off an 8:1 victory over Mainz last weekend, which allowed them to briefly close the gap on first-place Leverkusen to 7 points. Although Darmstadt drew their first league meeting with Bayern 1:1 way back in 1978, but have lost the next 7, and can at least hope to extend Bayern’s current streak of 4 away matches without a win in all competitions. The late game on Saturday is a derby between hosts TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and nearby VfB Stuttgart. Stuttgart continue to enjoy an unexpectedly successful season, and are closing in on a UEFA Champions League qualification. Stuttgart have long been the leading football club of Baden-Württemberg, including before the Bundesliga’s inaugural season, of which they were a part. Although the club has experienced the highs of 2 German championships and 2 DFB Pokals, they have also experienced the low of relegation. The current campaign began with a 5:0 win over Bochum, and the club went on to win 7 matches by Matchday 9 and at the time were in 2nd place behind Leverkusen. The hosts are also enjoying a respectable season, including a 7th-place berth going into Saturday’s match, and were the winners in the reverse fixture earlier this season. Several of the other clubs in the top half of the table will sort out the table when they compete on Sunday. Eighth-place Freiburg will host first-place Leverkusen, while fifth-place Dortmund will host sixth-place Frankfurt. Leverkusen need to collect 18 points from their final 9 games to take the title, regardless of Bayern’s results, and the Werkself have collected 23 points from the last 9 matches of the Hinrunde. Dortmund are winless in their last 5 league fixtures and have yet to beat a top-6 club this season.