Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal sanction sensational Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang swap deal
Arsenal have been linked with a sensational swap deal involving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while Mikel Arteta is intent on signing Philippe Coutinho, all in the Euro papers. Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo report that Arsenal will let Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona in a swap deal for Ousmane Dembele. Barca are willing to cut their losses on Dembele this summer and sell the forward for €50m, while the LaLiga club’s interest in Aubameyang is well documented. The Gabon striker’s contract expires next summer and Arsenal do not want to lose him for free and so are considering an exchange deal for Dembele. Arsenal have been tracking the injury-hit Dembele for some time and Mikel Arteta wants to get the former Borussia Dortmund man a chance in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Spanish outlet ...
Bayern Battle Past Borussia to Boost Their Title Hopes
Bayern travelled to the Signal Iduna Park for the biggest match of the Bundesliga season so far – a potentially title-deciding Klassiker against bitter rivals Dortmund. Within 30 seconds, Boateng was forced to clear off the line after a slow shot from Håland went past the retreating Neuer. After 20 minutes, Piszczek had to scramble a ball off the line after Gnabry’s shot beat Bürki. Both teams were great thereafter, but neither could create a major chance – until Kimmich tried to go for an outlandish chip from outside the box, which went past the scrambling Bürki. Late on, in the 82nd minute, Lewandowski struck the post with a great effort, but the ball went bounced back out. It was an even affair, but the match ended, 0-1 to Bayern. Tactics: Dortmund looked to threaten Bayern out wide in ...
Bayern coach bemoans lack of fans at ‘special’ Dortmund clash
Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick says the absence of spectators for Tuesday’s top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash at Borussia Dortmund will be a “missing factor”. Reigning champions Bayern thrashed second-placed Dortmund 4-0 last November in front of 75,000 fans at the Allianz Arena. But the teams will meet again in Dortmund with the stands at Signal Iduna Park — usually packed with 82,000 people — empty after the Bundesliga became the first top European league to return, behind closed doors, following the coronavirus lockdown. “It is a very special game,” Flick said on Monday, with Bayern heading to Dortmund with a four-point lead. “As a coach, there is no question that the fans are a missing factor.” Ten of the 18 league games since the restart have been won by the away team. “The atmo...
The Battle of Berlin and a Champions League Squabble: Bundesliga Matchday 27 Preview
Matchday 27 of the Bundesliga beckons, so let us take a quick look at all the fixtures for this weekend: FRIDAY: Hertha Berlin vs Union Berlin: The second matchday after the restart kicks off with a bang – The Berlin Derby. This will be more than just a derby – as the two teams are separated by a solitary point. Hertha go into this match on the back of their 3-0 victory over Hoffenheim, whereas Union lost 2-0 to Bayern, but they won’t be too displeased as they managed to frustrate the record champions for large parts of the match. Expect a cracker. Not these crackers, though: Player to Watch: Matheus Cunha – After his stellar display against Hoffenheim, the young Brazilian has the stage set for him shine against local rivals Union. Don’t be surprised if he picks the lock of Union’s de...
Brilliant Borussia and Sloppy Schalke: Match Report: Borussia Dortmund 4 – 0 Schalke 04
Overall Report: At the start it seemed that we would have a cracker on our hands. Schalke came close to breaking through the Dortmund defence in the first few minutes, but they couldn’t create a proper chance. Dortmund grew into the game and pierced Schalke’s defence with some precise passing, ingenious touches and a clinical assist and finish. After that they never looked back. Goals on either side of half-time saw them go clear. Schalke looked to get better after the third, but then Dortmund got a fourth goal through Raphael Guerreiro and the game was put to bed. It didn’t seem to be much of a derby, let alone the mother of all derbies, but let’s be happy that there was a game in the first place. Highlights: [embedded content] Tactics: The battle of the back 3s saw Dortmund emerge victor...
Sunday Oliseh: I started funding Nigeria national team in 1996
Nigeria legend Sunday Oliseh has opened up on his experience with the Super Eagles which spanned nine years. The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder made 63 appearances for the West Africans before he was forced to retire from international duty in 2002. Oliseh was a key member of the Super Eagles team that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia under Dutch tactician Clemens Westerhof. He explained the tournament opened doors of opportunities for him as he secured a move to Italy to play for Reggiana, becoming the first Nigerian to feature in the Serie A. “The 1994 Afcon was very special for me. In fact, it was my first major tournament for Nigeria in Tunisia and we had some great talents in the squad at that time,” Oliseh told the Punch. “We were favourites heading into the tournam...
Report: Borussia Dortmund interested in Celtic ace
According to Le10 Sport, Borussia Dortmund are interested in signing Odsonne Edouard from Celtic in the summer transfer window. It has been reported that the German club are keeping an eye on the 22-year-old should they need to make a move for a new striker this summer. Stats According to WhoScored, Edouard has made 25 starts and two substitute appearances in the Scottish Premiership for Celtic so far this season, scoring 22 goals in the process. The Frenchman has scored three goals and provided two assists in six Europa League games for the Hoops so far this campaign, according to WhoScored. Good signing for Borussia Dortmund? Dortmund have one of the best young strikers in Europe in Erling Braut Haaland, but the Bundesliga club could always do with more firepower upfront. Edouard is a ve...
German Bundesliga restarts with ‘ghost’ derby
Borussia Dortmund host Schalke 04 in Germany’s fiercest derby on Saturday but no more than 300 people will be in and around the 80,000 capacity arena due to COVID-19 restrictions as the Bundesliga gets back to business after a two-month break. The Bundesliga is the first major sports league to resume since world sport was brought to a standstill by the pandemic, and players will have to abide by a strict set of health guidelines aimed at minimizing the risk of infection. Fans will not be able to attend the matches as part of the safety regulations, leaving it up to the players to provide the spark for what are being called “ghost” games. “It will most certainly be the most unusual derby in history,” Dortmund’s head of pro players Sebastian Kehl said this week. “This game lives off fans, th...
UEFA releases possible dates for Champions League games
UEFA’s plan to complete the Champions League and Europa League continues. The plan says that they will be played throughout the month of August once the leagues are done in July. UEFA have an idea which is to end the season by the end of August. Therefore, the domestic leagues need to be completed by the end of July. The proposal is for the remaining last 16 games to be played in the first week of the month. On 26th and 29th August, Gdansk and Istanbul will host the Europa League and Champions League finals respectively. ‘Marca’ says that they will try and stick to that instead of playing both the finals at the same venue. There are 17 Champions League and 27 Europa League matches left to play. Confirmation of the new calendar depends first on leagues getting back underway and then on the ...
La Liga congratulates Bundesliga ahead football league return
The Spanish La Liga has congratulated Germany’s Bundesliga for announcing its imminent return as Spain’s top-flight stepped up its own comeback preparations. The Bundesliga was given the green light to resume later this month when chancellor Angela Merkel made the announcement during a news conference on Wednesday. Strict testing and matchday procedures will be put in place by the German government, with football seemingly set to resume on May 15 having been paused in mid-March. LaLiga outlined its own plan for a staggered return to training on Monday, with teams set to begin individual work this week before gradually moving to group sessions, the ultimate aim being to re-commence the 2019-20 season in June. Spanish clubs began testing players for COVID-19 on Tuesday and LaLiga sees the Bu...
Jadon Sancho looked up to former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney
Manchester United target and Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho has admitted looking up to Wayne Rooney as a youngster. The Bundesliga winger is believed to be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s priority signing for the summer despite the increasing uncertainty surrounding football. Sancho represents the missing piece to United’s otherwise exciting attacking in Marcus Rashford as a left-winger, Anthony Martial as a striker and Bruno Fernandes as an attacking-midfielder. The former Manchester City man would slot in with ease in the right-wing position and give Solskjaer a new dimension to his attack. Sancho has been dropping a few hints over a potential move to the Red Devils with Dortmund reportedly looking for a somewhat realistic fee of €100m. In the video above, Sancho says: “Who did I look up to ...
Club legend claims Newcastle ‘could have signed’ 40-goal star, still wants him at SJP
Former Newcastle player and club legend Steve Howey has suggested that Newcastle United should go after Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland in the next transfer window. According to widespread reports, the £300 million Newcastle United takeover is close to being done, with the prospective owners waiting for the official confirmation from the Premier League. It has been claimed that the potential Newcastle owners are willing to inject a sum of £200 million in recruitment and infrastructure. Put it simply, they are willing to spend big on buying top players in the transfer market. [embedded content] Howey told Newcastle United fan Steve Wraith during an Instagram live session that Haaland would be a fantastic signing for the club. The 19-year-old striker is...
