Matchday 4 bulletins
Cologne - As appears the case every week, the Bundesliga certainly didn't disappoint in the latest round of fixtures. Mainz, Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim all grabbed eye-catching wins, while Bayern were held at Hamburg.
Monday 22 September
The Reds host top-of-the-table Paderborn next Tuesday - what a game we have in store to kick off next week's double-header. Don't miss it!
MATCHDAY 4 RESULTS:
SC Freiburg 2-2 Hertha Berlin
FC Schalke 04 2-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
FC Augsburg 4-2 SV Werder Bremen
VfB Stuttgart 0-2 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Hamburger SV 0-0 FC Bayern München
SC Paderborn 07 2-0 Hannover 96
1. FSV Mainz 05 2-0 Borussia Dortmund
VfL Wolfsburg 4-1 Bayer 04 Leverkusen
1. FC Köln 0-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Bayern getting into gear:
Left-back David Alaba and his FC Bayern team-mates have already started preparations for tomorrow's home fixture against table-toppers SC Paderborn:
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Good news
for Werder Bremen who have been able to welcome back goalkeeper Raphael Wolf, captain Clemens Fritz, Felix Kroos and Sebastian Prödl for their final training session ahead of tomorrow's Matchday 5 encounter at home to Schalke 04:
Draxler to miss Revierderby:
As expected, FC Schalke 04 will be without World Cup winning midfielder Julian Draxler for their next two Bundesliga encounters after the 21-year-old was sent off on his birthday in the
with Eintracht Frankfurt. As a result the winger will miss out against SV Werder Bremen and in the Matchday 6 Revierderby. Things continue to go from bad to worse for the Royal Blues.
Wiesn time:
Never one to miss an opportunity to revel in the heritage their home state, FC Bayern München will have to get the better of league leaders SC Paderborn 07 if they want to maintain their tradition of frequenting Munich's annual beer festival, the Oktoberfest.
All aboard: Before the season started the thought of travelling to Munich to take on the reigning titleholders would have been a daunting prospect for SC Paderborn 07. However, on the back of an unbeaten start to the campaign, it seems the newly-promoted side are in fine spirits and rightly so considering they're currently sitting in the position FC Bayern München will hope to finish the season in again.
Jaw-dropping Paderborn:
There was no doubt the brand of football they played in the Bundesliga 2 last season was easy on the eyes, but for newly-promoted SC Paderborn 07, the relentless manner of their never-say-die attitude has them soaring to unprecedented heights under the tutelage of one of Germany's most promising young head coaches, Andre Breitenreiter. FC Bayern be warned!
Next level training:
This is quite simply breathtaking footage of FC Bayern München on the training ground. Much is made of their star-studded line-up and Pep Guardiola's training methods, but when you see them in action like this you can't help but admire the level of technical ability and precision. Enjoy!
Silver lining:
FC Schalke 04 may be suffering following their topsy-turvy
draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, but the Royal Blues have received a boost with news that Japanese international Atsuto Uchida could potentially feature in their upcoming clash with SV Werder Bremen.
Cracking photo:
You know what they say about lightning striking twice, but after beating Borussia Dortmund
on Saturday, 1. FSV Mainz 05 will be hoping the saying bares no truth. However, they'll have to wait until Matchday 6 to find out, up first for Kasper Hjulmand's charges a trip to Eintracht Frankfurt's Commerzbank Arena on Tuesday.
Bouncy Bayern:
However, FC Bayern do have a chance to return to winning ways on Tuesday when they take on high-flying SC Paderborn 07. If the newly-promoted side's early season form wasn't warning enough, the Bavarians would do well to heed their performance in the
against Hannover that currently has them sitting on top of the Bundesliga pile.
Monday motivation:
On the other side of the fence, FC Bayern München defender Dante also started the new week with words of encouragement. The record titleholders kept a clean sheet, but it was still a disappointing Saturday afternoon for the Brazilian and his team-mates.
Flashback:
After battling their way to a
with reigning Bundesliga champions FC Bayern München, it's not surprising to see that Lewis Holtby and Hamburger SV are in better spirits as they kick off the new week. So much so that the Tottenham Hotspur FC loanee posted a throwback freerunning YouTube clip that will likely provide a source of added motivation on the hardest day of the week: Monday!
Sunday 21 September
Werder counting the cost
Bremen were defeated for the first time this season - 4-2 at Augsburg - but the game took its toll on personnel as well:
Game for legends
Germany internationals Lukas Podolski and Marco Reus have since moved on from Köln and Gladbach respectively, but there clash two seasons ago - the last time the clubs met in the league - was one to savour. Relive it here courtesy of the official Bundesliga YouTube channel:
Feeling's mutual
Borussia Mönchengladbach are equally pumped for this evening's derby at Köln:
Two down, one to go
Welcome back to all the Bundesliga's around the world. We've had two days of rip-roaring action and now it's time for Act 3 in this weekend's play. On the agenda today are two more cracking match-ups - Wolfsburg vs. Leverkusen and Köln vs. Mönchengladbach - as well as all the reaction from Saturday's events. To get you in the mood, here's a picture of Köln's Anthony Ujah with Hennes, the club mascot, ahead of tonight's much-anticipated derby with the Foals.
Saturday 20 September
That's all for today then, but remember to join us tomorrow for two more cracking top-flight encounters, VfL Wolfsburg vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen and the Rhine Derby between 1. FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach. There will be fireworks, that's for sure. Bis morgen!
Game to forget for BVB
Borussia Dortmund missed several presentable goal-scoring opportunities in their defeat to 1. FSV Mainz on Saturday evening:
Hamburger SV - FC Bayern München line-ups
FC Schalke 04 - Eintracht Frankfurt line-ups
The line-ups are in...
SC Paderborn 07 - Hannover 96
VfB Stuttgart - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
FC Augsburg - SV Werder Bremen
Momentous full-backs
FC Bayern München
's Twitter account has just congratulated
on his 150th competitive appearance for the club and
on his 100th - read our preview of the Reds' trip to Hamburger SV
...
FC Bayern are in action at Hamburg today, but elsewhere in Munich it's the start of the annual Oktoberfest, a three week festival of beer and celebration in the Bavarian capital. As is their tradition, the Bayern players will be paying a visit to the attraction also known as the Wies'n, and to get you in the mood, here's what they're likely to get up to...
Firmino believes:
This wonderfully creative Instagram post from Hoffenheim's Robert Firmino suggests the Brazilian is confident ahead of TSG's trip down the road to Stuttgart...
Birthday boy Draxler
Julian Draxler might well have been looking at his horoscope this week. After starring against Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday, the Germany international may be the man to inspire the Royal Blues to their first win of the season
on the day he turns 21. Team-mate Kevin-Prince Boateng certainly hopes so...
Bremen's day?
Werder Bremen have enjoyed a good season so far, but the northerners are still without a win. Can they get their first of the season at FC Augsburg this afternoon?
Friday, 19 September
Bis morgen! So, that's Matchday 4's off to a cracking start. Four goals and plenty of drama at the Stadion an der Schwarzwalderstraße, but there's loads more to come this weekend, including FC Bayern München’s trip to Hamburger SV, the battle of the two Shinjis, and much, much more. Join us on Saturday as we look ahead to all the action. See you all then!
First up on Bundesliga radio this weekend is SC Freiburg’s match with Hertha. Which of the two teams will halt their winless run? Tune in at 20:30 CET to find out!
Marco Reus and Lukas Podolski were two of the most notable protagonists in the last Rhine-derby over two years ago. You can relive the highlights from Borussia Mönchengladbach's last encounter with 1. FC Köln via our official YouTube channel...
Flying the flag: Okakazi and Kagawa are two of German football's resoundingly successful Japanese imports, but who are the rest? Here are our top ten talents from the Land of the Rising Sun, courtesy of the official Bundesliga YouTube channel:
Admir absent:
With his side only hitting the back of the net once - Oliver Sorg's
effort against Borussia Dortmund -
has struggled to recreate the form that saw him fire in 12 goals in 2013/14. Now injured, the Black Forest outfit's goalscoring issues are unlikely to be appeased. As this SC Freiburg fan (below) points out, it now comes down to whether Streich's second string can step up to fill the void left by the Swiss international striker. Friday night will be their first test. Do you think they're capable?
Happy Hertha:
The capital city side were pleased to be able to welcome back
from injury. The Japanese midfielder could slot back into the starting line-up on the left flank this weekend.