With Germany's title race set to resume in earnest on Sunday, Bayer Leverkusen took center stage in Saturday's Bundesliga action by claiming fifth place with a 2-0 win at struggling Cologne.
Schalke joined Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday after a 3-1 win over Stuttgart at the Veltins Arena.
Leaders Bayern Munich crashed to a 3-1 defeat at Borussia Moenchengladbach Friday as the Bundesliga resumed after the winter break.
Schalke are up to fourth place in the German Bundesliga table after beating strugglers Augsburg 3-1 in Gelsenkirchen.
One third into the new season, it's a good time to look at who's who, who dunnit and who didn't. Here's this fall's list of Bundesliga movers and shakers.
Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to four points on Saturday as they thrashed Bavarian rivals Nuremberg 4-0 at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern Munich opened up a five-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga with a 4-0 thumping of Hertha Berlin Saturday in the Allianz Arena.
German Bundesliga big-spenders Bayern Munich have suffered the worse possible start to the new season, going down to a shock 1-0 home defeat to Borussia Moechengladbach on Sunday.
The Bundesliga's 49th season kicks off on Friday night, when defending champion Borussia Dortmund hosts a completely re-engineered Hamburger SV. Last season's intoxicating randomness proved how difficult it is to predict Europe's most open league but here's a moderately educated guess as to how the 18 teams might finish -- subject to some last-minute wheeling and dealing, naturally.
The post-Bosman age of contractual freedom has made it much harder for the smaller European teams to hold onto their best players. In the case of German champions Borussia Dortmund, however, the fact that it succeeded with the youngest ever side now rather than, say, 20, years ago, actually works in its favor. In those days, every half-decent Germany player was snapped up instantly by Serie A clubs and Jürgen Klopp's side would have been dismantled in the time it takes to drink an espresso. But the Bundesliga's newfound prosperity has stopped the migration across the Alps in recent years. The crème of young German talent will only move to a handful of European super-clubs now, and for that reason alone it is unlikely that Borussia's brave young squad will suffer too much hemorrhage. It's therefore safe to disregard the "Mario Götze to Arsenal" or "Neven Subotic to Chelsea" rumors that will abound this summer. But some -- almost exclusively foreign -- players will still be on the
2009 German champions VfL Wolfsburg gave themselves a Bundesliga lifeline with a precious 1-0 win at Werder Bremen Friday.
German league leaders Borussia Dortmund overcame a midweek bomb scare to remain seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with a 4-1 victory over Hannover that knocked the visiting team out of the Champions League places.
Bayern Munich climbed to third place in the Bundesliga on Saturday with a 4-0 victory over Hoffenheim.
Heavy snowfall in Germany has caused part of the roof to collapse at the Veltins Arena, which hosts Bundesliga soccer team Schalke 04.
Borussia Dortmund lost 1-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt to miss the chance to set a Bundesliga record for the most points gathered at the halfway mid-winter break.
Bayern Munich's Bundesliga title hopes suffered a shattering setback as they went down 2-0 at struggling Schalke on Saturday.
There has been a distinct mood of rebellion brewing in English football.
Nine of 34 games have been played, yet the Bundesliga season is still an amorphous blob, unwilling to take any shape. Here's a quarterly review to guide you through the Germanic madness.
Hoffenheim are up to fourth place in the German Bundesliga table, seven points behind joint leaders Borussia Dortmund and Mainz, after defeating nine-man Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-2 on Sunday.
Bayern Munich's nightmare start to their Bundesliga title defense continued as they were beaten 2-0 at second-placed Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.
Big-spending Schalke are rooted to the bottom of the German Bundesliga table, without a point from four matches, after visiting local rivals Borussia Dortmund beat them 3-1 in Sunday.
Hoffenheim have continued their dream start to the German Bundesliga season, beating Schalke 2-0 to remain top of the table with three wins out of three.
The Bundesliga's 48th season kicks off on Friday night, when defending champion Bayern Munich meets 2008-09 winner VfL Wolfsburg, now coached by Steve McClaren. Here is a (moderately) educated guess as to how the 18 teams might finish -- subject to some last-minute wheeling and dealing, naturally:
The 48th season of the Bundesliga will commence this week with champions Bayern Munich looking to defend their title against Steve McClaren's Wolfsburg.
One prominent player agent in the Bundesliga has bought the domain mediocritysucks.de. He also loves sending out provocative letters with famous quotes from varied people -- Karl Marx, Confucius and Lukas Podolski have all been featured in the past. His latest missive came this week, in a letter with a big "Steven Gerrard for England" sticker, and it carried a good line at the back of the envelope: "We don't fear the competition, we are the competition."
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich remain on course for a unique treble of trophies after crushing Werder Bremen 4-0 in the German Cup final on Saturday.
Bayern Munich clinched the Bundesliga title for a record 22nd time thanks to a 3-1 away win over relegated Hertha Berlin on the final day of the German season.
Bayern Munich were left tantalizingly close to a 22nd German Bundesliga title after closest rivals Schalke suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to third-placed Werder Bremen in the penultimate round of the league season on Saturday.
Arjen Robben proved the difference for the second time in four days as Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Freiburg 2-1 to leapfrog Schalke at the top of the Bundesliga.
French star Franck Ribery scored the only goal of Sunday's match as Bayern Munich went to the top of the Bundesliga with a home win over fourth-placed SV Hamburg.
Bayer Leverkusen reclaimed top spot in the Bundesliga from Bayern Munich with a 2-2 draw at Werder Bremen to extend their unbeaten run to a record equaling 23 games.
Bayer Leverkusen scored three goals in four minutes late in the first half as they surged back to the top of the German Bundesliga with a 3-1 home win over Freiburg.
Bayern Munich returned to the top of the Bundesliga for the first time since May 2008 with a 2-0 victory at home to Hoffenheim on Friday night in the first match after the German winter break.
Brazilian forward Maicosuel scored the only goal to give Hoffenheim a 1-0 win over Freiburg on Sunday, a result that lifts them up to fifth in the Bundesliga -- knocking Bayern Munich down to sixth.
Bayer Leverkusen retained top spot in the German Bundesliga after coming away from second-placed Hamburg with a 0-0 draw on Saturday night.
Bayer Leverkusen went to the top of the German Bundesliga with a 4-0 thrashing of Nuremberg as defending champions Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich both drew on Saturday.
Hertha Berlin have reacted to their slump to the bottom of the German Bundesliga by announcing that coach Lucien Favre has been relieved of his duties.
updated: Sat Aug 15 2009 15:05:00
CNN's Kate Giles previews the upcoming German Bundesliga soccer season.
Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw by Hoffenheim in their opening match of the Bundesliga season and first under new coach Louis van Gaal.
The new Bundesliga season kicked off on Friday when defending champions Wolfsburg beat Stuttgart 2-0 at the Volkswagen Arena -- Fanzone details what to expect from the new campaign:
Wolfsburg hammered Hanover 5-0 on Saturday to move two points clear of Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga, with just one match remaining.
Edin Dzeko grabbed a hat-trick as VfL Wolfsburg kept their lead in the Bundesliga title race with a 4-0 home win over midwinter 'champions' Hoffenheim on Saturday.
The Bundesliga title race continues to prove the most exciting in living memory after league leaders Wolfsburg were beaten 2-0 at relegation-threatened Energie Cottbus on Sunday.
Bayern Munich had Franck Ribery sent off in the second half as they slipped to a 1-0 home defeat to Schalke 04 which dents their Bundesliga title hopes.
A struggling German soccer team is offering a refund to its fans who traveled to another city to watch it suffer a 4-0 loss.
Bayern Munich suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat to new leaders VfL Wolsburg which leaves their Bundesliga title defense on the rocks as they slip to fourth place.
Holders Bayern Munich have crashed out of the German Cup, losing 4-2 at Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen in Wednesday's quarterfinals.
Ruhr Valley neighbors and rivals Schalke and Borussia Dortmund shared a 1-1 draw in Gelsenkirchen on Friday, a result that benefited neither side in their attempts to climb up from their mid-table positions in the Bundesliga.
Hoffenheim celebrated the first match in their new Rhein-Neckar Arena stadium with a 2-0 win over struggling Energie Cottbus to go back to the top of the Bundesliga.
As ascents to the footballing summit go, that of 1899 Hoffenheim takes some beating, more state-of-the-art cable car than rope and crampons. A year ago, the club based in a micro-conurbation in the southwest of Germany was mid-table in the Second Division, eight points off a promotion slot. Twelve months later, Hoffenheim topped the Bundesliga at the winter break, albeit only on goal difference from Bayern Munich.
A late equalizer from American midfielder Michael Bradley earned Borussia Moenchengladbach a stunning 2-2 home draw with Bayern Munich, as Bayer Leverkusen remain top of the German Bundesliga.
Bundesliga new boys Hoffenheim shocked previous leaders SV Hamburg with a 3-0 win on Sunday to top the German standings.
Preseason forecasts of the survival chances of newly promoted clubs tend to be of the dark, doom-laden and deeply condescending variety, the vast majority condemned even before a ball is kicked. So it made a refreshing change for Bundesliga rookies 1899 Hoffenheim to be welcomed aboard in August to the sound of optimism.
Newly-promoted Hoffenheim sit atop the Bundesliga after two rounds after beating Borussia Moenchengladbach 1-0 on Saturday for their second straight win.
CNN.com's Football Fan Zone looks ahead to the new season in Germany which kicks off on Friday August 15.
Schalke cruised to a 3-0 Bundesliga victory at Bochum on Tuesday to lift them up to second place in the table and seal their Champions League berth for next season.
Bayern Munich clinched the Bundesliga championship on Sunday, completing the German double with a 0-0 draw at VfL Wolfsburg.
Zenit St Petersburg booked their place in their first-ever UEFA Cup final in Manchester on May 14 after crushing Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich 4-0 in Russia on Thursday.
Two goals from Franck Ribery helped Bayern Munich beat champions Stuttgart 4-1 on Sunday to move 12 points clear in the Bundesliga with just one point required from their last four games to seal a 21st German title.
Dutchman Fred Rutten will take charge of Bundesliga side Schalke next season.
Schalke's Brazilian defender Rafinha fired them up to second place in the German Bundesliga table by converting a 44th minute penalty which gave them a 1-0 home win over Hertha Berlin.
Every big club begins a new season with something to prove. But none more so this year than Bayern Munich.
VfB Stuttgart won the Bundesliga title on the final day of the season on Saturday when a 2-1 comeback win over Energie Cottbus kept them two points ahead of runners-up Schalke 04.
The former Liverpool and Scotland defender turned television pundit Alan Hansen once remarked of the fledging Manchester United side of Giggs, Beckham, Scholes and Neville that you "never win anything with kids." Alex Ferguson's young guns went on to win the English league and cup double.
Borussia Moenchengladbach coach Jupp Heynckes has resigned a day after a 0-0 draw against visiting Nuremberg, which extended their winless run to 13 games.
Werder Bremen took back top spot in the Bundesliga with a comfortable 3-0 victory at home to Hanover on Sunday.
Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich are in the sort of form to produce a classic when they meet in the Bundesliga on Saturday -- provided their powers of recovery are up to it.
The German Football Federation (DFB) have fined Bundesliga clubs Alemannia Aachen and Borussia Monchengladbach 50,000 euros and 19,000 euros respectively for racist slurs by fans in the league meeting on September 16.
Bundesliga sides Mainz and Arminia Bielefeld crashed out in the first round of the German Cup on Sunday, both losing to teams from the third division.
Schalke beat Werder Bremen 2-0 on Friday in an ill-tempered clash between the two north German clubs with Bundesliga title aspirations.
Bayern Munich beat Schalke 4-1 in a penalty shootout to advance to the final of Bundesliga's pre-season League Cup tournament against Werder Bremen.
Jupp Heynckes has returned to his roots after being named the new coach of German side Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Bayern Munich clinched the German Bundesliga title for the 20th time as closest rivals Hamburg SV were beaten 4-2 away to Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen suffered hangovers in the Bundesliga on Saturday after their Champions League exits.
Top Bundesliga clubs have welcomed the German football league's (DFL) decision to scrap the limit on the number of non-Europeans they are allowed to field.
Werder Bremen striker Miroslav Klose has been named the best outfield player of the first half of the season in Kicker's poll of Bundesliga professionals.
Werder Bremen, the 2004 Bundesliga champions, have achieved a record turnover and a big profit last season, the club has announced.
The German Football League (DFL) has opened bidding for TV rights for the next three seasons hoping to significantly raise income from the current euro302 million ($362.4m).
German champions Werder Bremen will face their former star striker Ailton again in the cup semi-finals after being drawn to visit in-form Schalke 04.
Peruvian Paolo Guerrero starred as Bayern Munich stretched their German Bundesliga lead to three points with a 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Ambitious Bundesliga club Schalke have signed talented midfielder Mimoun Azaouagh from Mainz.
Schalke 04 striker Ailton will face no sanctions from the Bundesliga club although club officials were not amused to learn that he fractured two fingers in a rodeo event in his native Brazil.
Bundesliga side Borussia Moenchengladbach have appointed Dutchman Dick Advocaat as coach in place of Holger Fach, who was sacked last week.
German Bundesliga Schalke 04 have dismissed coach Jupp Heynckes with immediate effect, said club general manager Rudi Assauer.
Two-goal Sebastian Deisler helped Bayern Munich to a 3-2 win over Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen in Monday's German League Cup final at Mainz.
Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen comfortably beat VfB Stuttgart 2-0 in the semifinals of the German League Cup in Meppen on Thursday.
Bayern Munich warmed up for the Bundesliga campaign by crushing Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the German League Cup semifinals on Wednesday.
Runaway leaders Werder Bremen moved a step closer to the Bundesliga title with a 2-0 win at VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday.
Werder Bremen stretched their German Bundesliga lead to nine points with a 3-2 win over bottom club Cologne.
German Bundesliga leaders Werder Bremen were held to a goalless draw at Schalke 04, but they still lead defending champions Bayern Munich by seven points.
German leaders Werder Bremen needed a last-minute winner to maintain their momentum at the top of the Bundesliga, beating Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1.
Bundesliga leaders Werder Bremen scored twice in added time for a 3-2 away win at Second Division Greuther Fuerth in a German Cup quarterfinal on Tuesday.
The German Football Federation has asked world ruling body FIFA to extend the half-time match break to 20 minutes in order to sell more beer and sausages.
For the second time in less than three years, the German Bundesliga will have to arrange a new television deal.
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