Matchday 23 live updates
Cologne - Matchday 23 provided no end of action and entertainment, from a thrilling 146th Revierderby between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 to FC Bayern München's goal-filled birthday celebrations.
Monday 2 March
As ever, bundesliga.com brings you the reaction to the weekend's barnstorming entertainment...
MATCHDAY 23 RESULTS:(Click on the score in each fixture to view individual match highlights).
FC Bayern München 4-1 1. FC Köln
Borussia Dortmund 3-0 FC Schalke 04
Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1-0 SC Freiburg
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 2-0 1. FSV Mainz 05
Hannover 96 1-1 VfB Stuttgart
Hertha Berlin 1-0 FC Augsburg
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Hamburger SV
Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-0 SC Paderborn 07
SV Werder Bremen 3-5 VfL Wolfsburg
Eyes on the cup
Dresden vs. Dortmund is just one of seven other cup ties taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Here's the full fixture list for the DFB Cup last 16:
Tuesday
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. 1. FC Kaiserslautern
VfR Aalen vs. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
SC Freiburg vs. 1. FC Köln
Dynamo Dresden vs. Borussia Dortmund
Wednesday
RB Leipzig vs. VfL Wolfsburg
Arminia Bielefeld vs. SV Werder Bremen
Kickers Offenbach vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach
FC Bayern München vs. Eintracht Braunschweig
Make sure you keep up to date with all the action right here on bundesliga.com. Our live updates will resume on Thursday ahead of Matchday 24. Bis dann!.
Looking east
Borussia Dortmund face Dynamo Dresden in the last 16 of the DFB Cup on Tuesday evening.
Stindl also suspended
Hannover captain
, who was involved in an altercation with Stuttgart attacker Harnik (see below) that resulted in both players being sent off on Saturday, has also been slapped with a two-match ban and will be unavailable for the
96ers
' tough upcoming ties against FC Bayern and Gladbach. Hannover revealed in a tweet that the ban was due to "unsporting conduct".
Braunschweig beware
As if facing FC Bayern away in the DFB Cup Round of 16 clash on Wednesday was not enough for Eintracht Braunschweig, the following tweet from
is likely to make what was already an imposing task that bit more daunting for the second division outfit...
Klopp eyes DFB Cup victory
Dortmund boss Jürgen Klopp confirmed today that last year's finalists want to go all the way in the DFB Cup this season. "We won't be satisfied reaching the Berlin final this year, we also want to win it," he said. BVB will be facing Dynamo Dresden in the competition's last 16 tomorrow evening.
Klopp was also full of praise for midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan after the Armenian notched his first Bundesliga goal of the season against Schalke last weekend: "He didn't only score which lifted a weight of his shoulders. It was also his best performance in a defensive sense."
Heitinga focused
Hertha Berlin defender John Heitinga already has his sights set firmly on the Matchday 24 opener away to bottom-of-the-table Stuttgart on Friday:
Stöger: Köln always give 100 per cent
Köln's head coach has made it clear at the Billy Goats' pre-match press conference his side will be taking tomorrow's DFB Cup tie at Freiburg anything but lightly:
Thiago taking it step by step
Following his months-long layoff, Bayern München midfielder Thiago Alcantara is working hard on his comeback at the club's Säbener Straße training compound:
Werder taking to the pitch
The Green-Whites, meanwhile, have kicked off their preparations for Wednesday's DFB Cup last-16 tie away to former Bundesliga side Arminia Bielefeld:
Eight-goal thriller
Real Madrid star Toni Kroos couldn't hide his excitement after his younger brother Felix found the net in last night's Matchday 23 curtain closer, although the Bremen midfielder's goal proved too little for his Green-Whites to get something from their northern clash against Wolfsburg...
...as the on-fire Bas Dost continued his great goalscoring form at the Weser-Stadion.
Have your say!
Following another breathtaking nine clashes in Germany's top flight, make sure you cast your Matchday 23 Team of the Week using #BLTOTW on Twitter:
Sunday 1 March
Heads held high
It is not every day you score three goals at home and still lose, but that was the case for SV Werder Bremen on Sunday with a
to VfL Wolfsburg, despite playing as well as they have been doing all 2015. Just five minutes of madness early in the second half cost them dearly...
Oh man...we've got to learn from this too...
Have your say
Three of the world's finest plying their trade in the Bundesliga, but who gets your pick for Matchday 23 Player of the Week? Let us know on our
.
Northern thriller
Eight goals and Wolfsburg march on - unbeaten in their last 11 league games after outscoring Bremen. Click
for more on a barmy game at the Weser-Stadion.
The confirmed line-ups for Wolfsburg's visit to Bremen
Hrgota to start
Mönchengladbach's young in-form striker has made the Foals' starting XI against Paderborn, with Max Kruse on the bench:
No training at Säbener Straße
The Bayern stars have been given today off by head coach Pep Guardiola, and will kick off preparations for Wednesday's DFB Cup clash at home to Bundesliga 2 side Eintracht Braunschweig tomorrow:
Bundesliga mourns Wuttke
The Bundesliga mourns the passing of former 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Hamburger SV, 1. FC Saarbrücken, Schalke 04, Mönchengladbach and RCD Espanyol creative midfielder Wolfram Wuttke. The four-time Germany international passed away last night at the age of 53.
Ambitious Foals
Borussia Mönchengladbach are up against struggling SC Paderborn at the Borussia-Park today (kick-off: 15:30 CET/14:30 CET), while the Bundesliga's most in-form sides Werder Bremen and VfL Wolfsburg will be locking horns in Matchday 23's curtain closer (17:30 CET/16:30 GMT). Before though, Bundesliga 2 has three exciting encounters in store, including the meeting of local rivals RB Leipzig and Energie Cottbus (13:30 CET/12:30 GMT). Much to look forward to today!
Saturday 28 February
Social media storm
Aubameyang and Reus as Batman and Robben is spreading like wildfire across Twitter this evening:
Eagles flying
Alexander Meier scored his 15th and 16th goals - and missed out on his 17th after a missed penalty - as Frankfurt ground out a
against Hamburg in Saturday's late game.
Batman and Robin celebrate derby victory...
Team news
Countdown to kick-off
So the teams are arriving at the venues around the country, testing out the grass and conditions and, of course, submitting their team sheets. All the team news is coming up...
Bundesliga ladder
As you were in the standings after Bayern's 4-1 win over Köln...
No let up for the Champions...
Bundesliga birthdays
After FC Bayern celebrated their 115th birthday with a
over 1. FC Köln last night, the somewhat younger
(25 today) will be hoping for a similar present when his Hoffenheim side
this afternoon...
Revierderby day
Welcome back folks. That was some way to open Matchday 23 last night as FC Bayern enjoyed their fourth league win on the bounce courtesy of a
at home to a valiant 1. FC Köln. The action returns later this afternoon, Saturday's bill-topping clash being the hotly-anticipated
between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04. Hold onto your hats!
Friday 27 February
Party time in Munich
There'll be a fair few
Weißbiere
drunk in Munich this evening, and who knows, maybe even the players will join in. It's a 115th birthday to remember for David Alaba and Co, who can now relax and put their feet up while the rest of the league tries to catch them over the weekend. We'll be back tomorrow with yet more drama, including Dortmund vs. Schalke, so we'll see you then. Servus!
Bayern march on
Köln put up a good fight and, for a brief period, looked like they might take something from the game after Anthony Ujah’s goal, but that's now three wins on the bounce, with 18 goals scored in that time, for Arjen Robben and Co. Here's our
from the Allianz.
Basti's back
Bastian Schweinsteiger returns to the heart of the Bavarians' midfield:
Köln going for it?
Peter Stöger has picked a string starting XI for FC Köln tonight:
Party poopers?
Köln are the opposition attempting to spoil Bayern's 115th birthday celebrations this evening. Proceedings
at 20:30 CET at the Allianz Arena.
Diaz under no illusions
Mainz left-back Junior Diaz knows exactly what is expected of the team against Hoffenheim tomorrow:
Rocking Robben
Just how do you stop this man?
Wendt looks on the bright side
After defeat to Sevilla yesterday, Oscar Wendt of Gladbach says the club will continue pushing in the league and the DFB Cup to make sure they get back into Europe next year:
Ein von Oscar Wendt (@owendt_17) gepostetes Foto am 27. Feb 2015 um 7:31 Uhr
Many happy returns
Austrian megastar
has joined team-mate Thomas Müller in wishing FC Bayern München a very Happy 115th Birthday...
Wolfsburg to play Internazionale in last 16
Mouthwatering draw for the Wolves against the three-time UEFA Cup winners...
In the pot
The excitement's building for all involved at VfL Wolfsburg ahead of the draw for the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League...
Matchday!
We will bring you details of Wolfsburg's Europa League draw when it happens later today, but now attention turns back to the Bundesliga. That's right, it's matchday!
Proud when looking back, now full power forwards!
Share and share alike
Roberto Di Matteo's Schalke have earned a reputation for being pretty stingy when it comes to giving away goals, but they're certainly happy to share the load when it comes to scoring them...
Thursday 26 February
Until the weekend...
The European action is over for the week, but there's plenty of mouth-watering Bundesliga action to look forward to this weekend, with
to be broadcast live across the globe. We'll be back tomorrow, when we'll start with Bayern vs. Köln. Be there!
Wolves through
There was better news for Wolfsburg, however, who secured a 0-0 draw away at Sporting to progress to the last 16 with a 2-0 aggregate win.
Disappointment for Borussia
Despite a valiant effort, a 3-2 defeat means the Foals lose 4-2 to Sevilla on aggregate and are out of Europe for another year. They are next in action on Sunday against SC Paderborn.
Dost leads the line
Unsurprisingly, goal machine Bas Dost leads the attack for Wolfsburg at Sporting Lisbon this evening:
Teams are in
The Foals have a full-strength line-up for tonight...
Kalou and Heitinga in the frame for Hertha
This weekend is a big one for Hertha Berlin and Salomon Kalou. The Ivorian international is yet to score since winning the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, and will be hoping for his first goal since Matchday 14 when Augsburg visit the capital on Saturday. The Berliners will have their work cut out agains the high-flying Bavarians, but will hope to have Dutch defender John Heitinga back.
My boy Heitinga #ex_ajax #amsterdam #feyenoord #rotterdam #netherland #JohnHeitinga #hertha_Bsc
Ein von Salomon Kalou (@salomonkalou) gepostetes Foto am 26. Feb 2015 um 8:51 Uhr
Kick-off drawing ever closer
There are just over one hour to go until Borussia's date with destiny against Sevilla begins. Here are the Foals players taking a moment to calm their nerves before the drama begins...
Wolves fans in Portugal
Wolfsburg fans are preparing for an exciting night of Europa League football in Lisbon city centre
, reads the tweet below...
Laser Quest
Eintracht Frankfurt welcome Hamburger SV to the Commerzbank Arena in Saturday's late game...
Roberto Di Matteo press-conference
More good news than bad news then for the Italian head coach...
Pep talks Köln
Here's what FC Bayern strategist Pep Guardiola has to say about Friday's opponents Köln, among other things...
Fine-tuning complete
The FC Bayern players can go enjoy some well-earned rest following a typically rigorous workout...
Di Santo up for the challenge
It looks like SV Werder Bremen have a new groundsman in ten-goal leading scorer
. The Green-Whites put their six-match unbeaten run on the line at home to second-placed VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday, remember.
Translation: I'm up for it
Stöger under no illusions
Speaking at today's pre-match press conference, Köln head coach Peter Stöger has been giving his thoughts on Matchday 23's curtain-raiser in the Bavarian capital: "We'll go there with the respect Bayern deserve."
Herd of Billy Goats
Around 7,000 Köln fans are expected to make the trip to the Allianz Arena on Friday, according to this message on the Billy Goats' official Twitter account just now...
Hunter games
FC Schalke 04 striker
, who picked up a knock in his side's 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid CF in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg last week, is in line to start against Dortmund. The Dutchman has just completed a four-match ban following his sending off against Hannover 96 on Matchday 18.
Get well soon!
Borussia Dortmund centre-back
sends his virtual regards to "the best right-back"
after the Polish international suffered an ankle ligament injury in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League defeat to Juventus FC. 'Piszcu' faces around
.
Insatiable appetite
The weekend's action begins in Munich, though, where in-form def
Coal Vs. Steel
It's Germany's most passionate football derby, but where did the rivalry between Schalke and Dortmund begin? Join us as we find out courtesy of the Bundesliga's official YouTube channel...