Borussia Dortmund Teams

{"subCategory":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"subCategory","title":"Departments","multiValue":true,"value":"Personnel","exportedType":"text/plain"},"dataLayer":{"editable-047e37831f":{"dc:description":"<p>Before the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League, Borussia Dortmund have made a couple of changes to its squad list for the competition. Two more Black &amp; Yellow players are now eligible to play in the next round of the European competition.<\/p>\n","xdm:linkURL":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/6/BVB-registers-duo-for-Champions-League.html","@type":"/apps/bvbweb/components/newssliderelements/editable","dc:title":"BVB register duo for Champions League","repo:modifyDate":"2026-02-06T08:00:00Z"}},"displayTag":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"displayTag","title":"Display Department","multiValue":true,"value":[""],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"metadescription":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"metadescription","title":"Meta Description","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"linkTarget":"_self","link":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/6/BVB-registers-duo-for-Champions-League.html","stageImages":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"stageImages","title":"Image (Stage Image)","multiValue":true,"value":["/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/nachmeldung-cl/nachmeldung-cl/SC_Inacio_UYL.jpg"],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"experience":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"experience","title":"Experience Fragment","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"appExport":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"appExport","title":"App Export (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"showDate":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"calendar","name":"showDate","title":"Show Date and Time (CET)","multiValue":false,"value":"06.02.26 08:00 Z","exportedType":"calendar"},"teaserText":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"teaserText","html":"<p>Before the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League, Borussia Dortmund have made a couple of changes to its squad list for the competition. Two more Black &amp; Yellow players are now eligible to play in the next round of the European competition.<\/p>\n","title":"Teaser Text","multiValue":false,"value":"Before the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League, Borussia Dortmund have made a couple of changes to its squad list for the competition. Two more Black & Yellow players are now eligible to play in the next round of the European competition.","exportedType":"text/html"},"scheduledPush":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"scheduledPush","title":"Scheduled Push Notification?","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"disableAdsOnNewsPage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"disableAdsOnNewsPage","title":"Disable Ads on News Page","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"text":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"text","html":"<p>Borussia Dortmund have registered&nbsp;Salih Özcan and Samuele Inacio with UEFA for the upcoming Champions League matches against Atalanta (first leg on 17.02, second leg on 25.02) and for any subsequent rounds.<\/p>\n","title":"Text","multiValue":false,"value":"<p>Borussia Dortmund have registered&nbsp;Salih Özcan and Samuele Inacio with UEFA for the upcoming Champions League matches against Atalanta (first leg on 17.02, second leg on 25.02) and for any subsequent rounds.<\/p>\n","exportedType":"text/html"},"id":"editable-047e37831f","prio":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"prio","title":"Prio (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"headline":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"headline","title":"Headline","multiValue":false,"value":"BVB register duo for Champions League","exportedType":"text/plain"},"author":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"author","title":"Author","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"teaserType":"relatedContent","match":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"content-fragment","name":"match","title":"Related Match","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"externalId":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"externalId","title":"External ID (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":"177743624","exportedType":"text/plain"},"displayOnHome":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"displayOnHome","title":"Display in news wall on homepage","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"url":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"url","title":"Vanity URL (LEAVE EMPTY FOR AUTOMATIC VANITY URL. DO NOT EDIT EXISTING VALUES!)","multiValue":false,"value":"2026/2/6/BVB-registers-duo-for-Champions-League","exportedType":"text/plain"},"push":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"push","title":"Push (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"tags":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"tags","title":"Tags","multiValue":true,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"scheduledPushTime":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"calendar","name":"scheduledPushTime","title":"Scheduled Push Date and Time","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"calendar"},"mainCategory":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"mainCategory","title":"News Type","multiValue":true,"value":["bvbweb:news/category/personnel"],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"appExportSuccess":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"appExportSuccess","title":"App Export Successful (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"temporaryAppImage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"temporaryAppImage","title":"App Image","multiValue":true,"value":["/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/nachmeldung-cl/nachmeldung-cl/A_Inacio_UYL.jpg"],"exportedType":"text/plain"}}

{"subCategory":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"subCategory","title":"Departments","multiValue":true,"value":"Pre-Match Report","exportedType":"text/plain"},"dataLayer":{"editable-4b59ce1f46":{"dc:description":"<p>Borussia Dortmund face VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday (kick-off 15:30 CET, live on Sky). BVB have lost only one of the past 21 meetings between the sides (0-2 in November 2022), when Niko Kovac was the head coach of Wolfsburg...<\/p>\n","xdm:linkURL":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/6/BVBs-run-in-Wolfsburg-more-points-at-this-stage-only-three-times-before.html","@type":"/apps/bvbweb/components/newssliderelements/editable","dc:title":"BVB's run in Wolfsburg \u2013 more points at this stage only three times before","repo:modifyDate":"2026-02-06T07:50:00Z"}},"displayTag":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"displayTag","title":"Display Department","multiValue":true,"value":[""],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"metadescription":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"metadescription","title":"Meta Description","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"linkTarget":"_self","link":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/6/BVBs-run-in-Wolfsburg-more-points-at-this-stage-only-three-times-before.html","stageImages":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"stageImages","title":"Image (Stage Image)","multiValue":true,"value":["/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/bl-faktenvorschau/65M-BVB-Wolfs-Brandt.jpg"],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"experience":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"experience","title":"Experience Fragment","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"appExport":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"appExport","title":"App Export (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"showDate":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"calendar","name":"showDate","title":"Show Date and Time (CET)","multiValue":false,"value":"06.02.26 07:50 Z","exportedType":"calendar"},"teaserText":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"teaserText","html":"<p>Borussia Dortmund face VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday (kick-off 15:30 CET, live on Sky). BVB have lost only one of the past 21 meetings between the sides (0-2 in November 2022), when Niko Kovac was the head coach of Wolfsburg...<\/p>\n","title":"Teaser Text","multiValue":false,"value":"Borussia Dortmund face VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday (kick-off 15:30 CET, live on Sky). BVB have lost only one of the past 21 meetings between the sides (0-2 in November 2022), when Niko Kovac was the head coach of Wolfsburg...","exportedType":"text/html"},"scheduledPush":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"scheduledPush","title":"Scheduled Push Notification?","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"disableAdsOnNewsPage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"disableAdsOnNewsPage","title":"Disable Ads on News Page","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"text":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"text","html":"<p><b>The scenario:<\/b>&nbsp;Fourteenth against second. Since match day 15, VfL Wolfsburg have managed to secure only&nbsp;four points out of a possible 18 and they are now just one point above the relegation zone. Borussia Dortmund have consolidated second place in the table with a 13-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga. Only three times in BVB's entire Bundesliga history have they surpassed 45 points after 20 matchdays: in 1995/96, Ottmar Hitzfeld's side had 46 points the season that three points for a win was introduced; in 2010/11 under Jürgen Klopp, they ha 50 points; and in 2018/19 under Lucien Favre, they had 49 points.<\/p>\n<p><b>Home &amp; away: <\/b>The Lower Saxons have earned one point less at home than than they have away (nine compared to ten). Of the ten home games they have played so far this season, they have lost five and won just two \u2013 both since December (3-1 against Union, 2-1 against St. Pauli). BVB are third in the away table (five wins, four draws, one defeat). At the same point last season, they had only one away win to their name, but they had six in total by the end of the season.<\/p>\n<p><b>Head-to-head:<\/b> The Black &amp; Yellows have won 13 of their last 15 Bundesliga matches against Wolfsburg (plus one draw and one defeat) and have scored more than twice as many goals (124) as VfL (58) in all 57 encounters (36 wins, 11 draws, 10 defeats). In Bundesliga history, only Bayern Munich have celebrated more victories (46) against Wolfsburg than BVB (37). BVB have also lost only one of their last ten Bundesliga away games at VfL (eight wins, one draw). They have won over half of their away games: 15 out of 28..<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/bl-faktenvorschau/65-BVB-Wolfs-Adeyemi.jpg\" data-assetref=\"65-BVB-Wolfs-Adeyemi-1770283536531\"><\/p>\n<p><b>Statistics:<\/b>&nbsp;Only two teams have needed fewer shots on goal to score on average than Borussia Dortmund (six). They have ten goals coming from crosses, which is the best record in the league. Only Union Berlin have had more shots on goal from headers than Dortmund (54). 19 points after 20 matchdays is the Wolves' worst haul in their Bundesliga history. They have scored 71% of their goals from attacks through the middle, which is the second-highest proportion of any team after Bayern Munich..<\/p>\n<p><b>Biggest away win:<\/b>&nbsp;On 20 September 2016, the Black &amp; Yellows won 5-1 in Wolfsburg. Raphael Guerreiro scored with his first touch of the ball to make it 1-0 (4') and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang quickly added a second (17'). After the break, Wolfsburg were as good as if not better than BVB and pulled a goal back to make it 1-2. However, while VfL were on top, Ousmane Dembele (58') and Aubameyang (62') scored twice in quick succession, sealing the win for BVB after just over an hour. Lukasz Piszczek put the final nail in the coffin in the 73rd minute.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/bl-faktenvorschau/65-BVB-Wolfs-Aubameyang.jpg\" data-assetref=\"65-BVB-Wolfs-Aubameyang-1770283549947\"><\/p>\n<p><b>Last season:<\/b>&nbsp;The last time BVB played at Wolfsburg was the last game before Christmas 2024, when 5,000 BVB fans saw them dominate from the start&nbsp;and control the first half. BVB went 3-0 up within the space of less than five minutes thanks to goals from Donyell Malen (25'), Maximilian Beier (28') and Julian Brandt (30') . It was pretty routine from that point on. Wolfsburg were lucky to be only 3-0 down at half time. But the balance of power changed after the restart. Denis Vavro made it 1-3 in the 58th minute and Pascal Groß was sent off shortly afterwards. Despite being a man down, Borussia held on to their lead with great passion..<br>\n<i>Compiled by Boris Rupert<\/i><\/p>\n","title":"Text","multiValue":false,"value":"<p><b>The scenario:<\/b>&nbsp;Fourteenth against second. Since match day 15, VfL Wolfsburg have managed to secure only&nbsp;four points out of a possible 18 and they are now just one point above the relegation zone. Borussia Dortmund have consolidated second place in the table with a 13-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga. Only three times in BVB's entire Bundesliga history have they surpassed 45 points after 20 matchdays: in 1995/96, Ottmar Hitzfeld's side had 46 points the season that three points for a win was introduced; in 2010/11 under Jürgen Klopp, they ha 50 points; and in 2018/19 under Lucien Favre, they had 49 points.<\/p>\n<p><b>Home &amp; away: <\/b>The Lower Saxons have earned one point less at home than than they have away (nine compared to ten). Of the ten home games they have played so far this season, they have lost five and won just two \u2013 both since December (3-1 against Union, 2-1 against St. Pauli). BVB are third in the away table (five wins, four draws, one defeat). At the same point last season, they had only one away win to their name, but they had six in total by the end of the season.<\/p>\n<p><b>Head-to-head:<\/b> The Black &amp; Yellows have won 13 of their last 15 Bundesliga matches against Wolfsburg (plus one draw and one defeat) and have scored more than twice as many goals (124) as VfL (58) in all 57 encounters (36 wins, 11 draws, 10 defeats). In Bundesliga history, only Bayern Munich have celebrated more victories (46) against Wolfsburg than BVB (37). BVB have also lost only one of their last ten Bundesliga away games at VfL (eight wins, one draw). They have won over half of their away games: 15 out of 28..<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/bl-faktenvorschau/65-BVB-Wolfs-Adeyemi.jpg\" data-assetref=\"65-BVB-Wolfs-Adeyemi-1770283536531\"><\/p>\n<p><b>Statistics:<\/b>&nbsp;Only two teams have needed fewer shots on goal to score on average than Borussia Dortmund (six). They have ten goals coming from crosses, which is the best record in the league. Only Union Berlin have had more shots on goal from headers than Dortmund (54). 19 points after 20 matchdays is the Wolves' worst haul in their Bundesliga history. They have scored 71% of their goals from attacks through the middle, which is the second-highest proportion of any team after Bayern Munich..<\/p>\n<p><b>Biggest away win:<\/b>&nbsp;On 20 September 2016, the Black &amp; Yellows won 5-1 in Wolfsburg. Raphael Guerreiro scored with his first touch of the ball to make it 1-0 (4') and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang quickly added a second (17'). After the break, Wolfsburg were as good as if not better than BVB and pulled a goal back to make it 1-2. However, while VfL were on top, Ousmane Dembele (58') and Aubameyang (62') scored twice in quick succession, sealing the win for BVB after just over an hour. Lukasz Piszczek put the final nail in the coffin in the 73rd minute.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/bl-faktenvorschau/65-BVB-Wolfs-Aubameyang.jpg\" data-assetref=\"65-BVB-Wolfs-Aubameyang-1770283549947\"><\/p>\n<p><b>Last season:<\/b>&nbsp;The last time BVB played at Wolfsburg was the last game before Christmas 2024, when 5,000 BVB fans saw them dominate from the start&nbsp;and control the first half. BVB went 3-0 up within the space of less than five minutes thanks to goals from Donyell Malen (25'), Maximilian Beier (28') and Julian Brandt (30') . It was pretty routine from that point on. Wolfsburg were lucky to be only 3-0 down at half time. But the balance of power changed after the restart. Denis Vavro made it 1-3 in the 58th minute and Pascal Groß was sent off shortly afterwards. Despite being a man down, Borussia held on to their lead with great passion..<br>\n<i>Compiled by Boris Rupert<\/i><\/p>\n","exportedType":"text/html"},"id":"editable-4b59ce1f46","prio":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"prio","title":"Prio (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"headline":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"headline","title":"Headline","multiValue":false,"value":"BVB's run in Wolfsburg \u2013 more points at this stage only three times before","exportedType":"text/plain"},"author":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"author","title":"Author","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"teaserType":"relatedContent","match":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"content-fragment","name":"match","html":"<p>/content/dam/bvbweb/en/matches/football/profis/2025_2026/22/2569229_21_vfl_wolfsburg-borussiadortmund<\/p>","title":"Related Match","multiValue":false,"value":"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/matches/football/profis/2025_2026/22/2569229_21_vfl_wolfsburg-borussiadortmund","exportedType":"text/plain"},"externalId":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"externalId","title":"External ID (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":"1477623600","exportedType":"text/plain"},"displayOnHome":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"displayOnHome","title":"Display in news wall on homepage","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"url":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"url","title":"Vanity URL (LEAVE EMPTY FOR AUTOMATIC VANITY URL. DO NOT EDIT EXISTING VALUES!)","multiValue":false,"value":"2026/2/6/BVBs-run-in-Wolfsburg-more-points-at-this-stage-only-three-times-before","exportedType":"text/plain"},"push":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"push","title":"Push (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"tags":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"tags","title":"Tags","multiValue":true,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"scheduledPushTime":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"calendar","name":"scheduledPushTime","title":"Scheduled Push Date and Time","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"calendar"},"mainCategory":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"mainCategory","title":"News Type","multiValue":true,"value":["bvbweb:news/category/vorbericht"],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"appExportSuccess":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"appExportSuccess","title":"App Export Successful (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"temporaryAppImage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"temporaryAppImage","title":"App Image","multiValue":true,"value":["/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/bl-faktenvorschau/65A-BVB-Wolfs-Adeyemi.jpg"],"exportedType":"text/plain"}}

{"subCategory":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"subCategory","title":"Departments","multiValue":true,"value":"Pre-Match Report","exportedType":"text/plain"},"dataLayer":{"editable-a33a182adc":{"dc:description":"<p>BVB face VfL Wolfsburg away on matchday 21 of the Bundesliga. Kick-off is at 15:30 CET on Saturday at the Volkswagen Arena (7 February, live on Sky, <a href=\"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/5/Countdown-to-Wolfsburg-broadcast-weather-referee.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">to the countdown<\/a>).&nbsp;The Black &amp; Yellows are unbeaten in their last six Bundesliga matches against the Wolves \u2013 two current Black &amp; Yellows were still wearing green and white when they last lost to VfL.<\/p>\n","xdm:linkURL":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/5/Return-to-Wolfsburg-We-can-determine-our-own-destiny.html","@type":"/apps/bvbweb/components/newssliderelements/editable","dc:title":"Return to Wolfsburg: \u201cWe can determine our own destiny\u201d","repo:modifyDate":"2026-02-05T13:04:00Z"}},"displayTag":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"displayTag","title":"Display Department","multiValue":true,"value":[""],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"metadescription":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"metadescription","title":"Meta Description","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"linkTarget":"_self","link":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/5/Return-to-Wolfsburg-We-can-determine-our-own-destiny.html","stageImages":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"stageImages","title":"Image (Stage Image)","multiValue":true,"value":["/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/vorbericht-wolfsburg/Kovac.png"],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"experience":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"experience","title":"Experience Fragment","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"appExport":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"appExport","title":"App Export (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"showDate":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"calendar","name":"showDate","title":"Show Date and Time (CET)","multiValue":false,"value":"05.02.26 13:04 Z","exportedType":"calendar"},"teaserText":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"teaserText","html":"<p>BVB face VfL Wolfsburg away on matchday 21 of the Bundesliga. Kick-off is at 15:30 CET on Saturday at the Volkswagen Arena (7 February, live on Sky, <a href=\"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/5/Countdown-to-Wolfsburg-broadcast-weather-referee.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">to the countdown<\/a>).&nbsp;The Black &amp; Yellows are unbeaten in their last six Bundesliga matches against the Wolves \u2013 two current Black &amp; Yellows were still wearing green and white when they last lost to VfL.<\/p>\n","title":"Teaser Text","multiValue":false,"value":"BVB face VfL Wolfsburg away on matchday 21 of the Bundesliga. Kick-off is at 15:30 CET on Saturday at the Volkswagen Arena (7 February, live on Sky, to the countdown). The Black & Yellows are unbeaten in their last six Bundesliga matches against the Wolves \u2013 two current Black & Yellows were still wearing green and white when they last lost to VfL.","exportedType":"text/html"},"scheduledPush":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"scheduledPush","title":"Scheduled Push Notification?","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"disableAdsOnNewsPage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"disableAdsOnNewsPage","title":"Disable Ads on News Page","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"text":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"text","html":"<p><b>Scenario<\/b><br>\nWith 45 points, Borussia Dortmund are second in the table behind FC Bayern (51 points) and three points ahead of third-placed Hoffenheim. BVB suffered their only defeat of the season away at Bayern in October. &quot;The table looks good. We can be very satisfied. But the teams behind us will do everything they can to catch up with us. We have to keep working and can't rest on our laurels,&quot; warns BVB coach Niko Kovac. He has called on his team to focus on themselves because: &quot;We can determine our own destiny and ensure that the others don't catch up with us.&quot; Wolfsburg are 14th in the table on 19 points, just one point above the relegation zone, and have lost their last two Bundesliga matches (0-1 against Köln, 1-3 against Mainz).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Personnel matters<\/b><br>\nBVB will have to do without Marcel Sabitzer and Filippo Mane on Saturday. Sabitzer continues to struggle with calf problems, while Mane has suffered a muscle injury. &quot;It will take a while. I'm expecting about four to six weeks,\u201d explains Kovac. Emre Can is once again having problems with his adductors, as he did earlier in the season. They are currently receiving support from the youth team, with Luca Reggiani, Samuele Inacio (both Italy U17s) and Mathis Albert (USA U18) joining team training on Thursday. &quot;We will be doing this more and more in the coming weeks,&quot; said Kovac. &quot;There is a reason the three of them are playing for BVB. The boys are internationals at youth level, so they have quality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/vorbericht-wolfsburg/Reggiani.jpg\" data-assetref=\"Reggiani-1770299966319\"><\/p>\n<p><b>Opponent<\/b><br>\nWolfsburg have won only&nbsp;five times this season, drawing four times and suffering 11 defeats. If Bremen and Mainz pick up points this weekend, Wolfsburg will slip into the relegation play-off spot if they lose to BVB. However, Niko Kovac warns that &quot;19 points do not reflect the quality of this team,\u201d recalling their narrow 0-1 defeat against Köln&nbsp;last weekend. &quot;In the game against Köln, they had a great second half and they should have won. The team has a lot of quality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>From green and white to Black &amp; Yellow<\/b><br>\nIt has been a while since BVB last lost to VfL in the Bundesliga. Back in November 2022, the Wolves won 2-0. Felix Nmecha and Niko Kovac were both there, but both were still wearing green and white at the time. Kovac was head coach of Wolfsburg from 2022 to 2024, while Felix Nmecha played for Wolfsburg from 2021 to 2023. Incidentally, another Nmecha was responsible for the 2-0 scoreline back in November 2022 as Felix's brother Lukas (at VfL from 2021 to 2025) scored in injury time. Since that game, however, Borussia have been unbeaten against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, recording five wins and one draw with a goal difference of 16-2.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Nina Bargel-Neuhaus<\/i><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECvXrI-4phk\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">To the press conference.<\/a><\/p>\n","title":"Text","multiValue":false,"value":"<p><b>Scenario<\/b><br>\nWith 45 points, Borussia Dortmund are second in the table behind FC Bayern (51 points) and three points ahead of third-placed Hoffenheim. BVB suffered their only defeat of the season away at Bayern in October. &quot;The table looks good. We can be very satisfied. But the teams behind us will do everything they can to catch up with us. We have to keep working and can't rest on our laurels,&quot; warns BVB coach Niko Kovac. He has called on his team to focus on themselves because: &quot;We can determine our own destiny and ensure that the others don't catch up with us.&quot; Wolfsburg are 14th in the table on 19 points, just one point above the relegation zone, and have lost their last two Bundesliga matches (0-1 against Köln, 1-3 against Mainz).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Personnel matters<\/b><br>\nBVB will have to do without Marcel Sabitzer and Filippo Mane on Saturday. Sabitzer continues to struggle with calf problems, while Mane has suffered a muscle injury. &quot;It will take a while. I'm expecting about four to six weeks,\u201d explains Kovac. Emre Can is once again having problems with his adductors, as he did earlier in the season. They are currently receiving support from the youth team, with Luca Reggiani, Samuele Inacio (both Italy U17s) and Mathis Albert (USA U18) joining team training on Thursday. &quot;We will be doing this more and more in the coming weeks,&quot; said Kovac. &quot;There is a reason the three of them are playing for BVB. The boys are internationals at youth level, so they have quality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/vorbericht-wolfsburg/Reggiani.jpg\" data-assetref=\"Reggiani-1770299966319\"><\/p>\n<p><b>Opponent<\/b><br>\nWolfsburg have won only&nbsp;five times this season, drawing four times and suffering 11 defeats. If Bremen and Mainz pick up points this weekend, Wolfsburg will slip into the relegation play-off spot if they lose to BVB. However, Niko Kovac warns that &quot;19 points do not reflect the quality of this team,\u201d recalling their narrow 0-1 defeat against Köln&nbsp;last weekend. &quot;In the game against Köln, they had a great second half and they should have won. The team has a lot of quality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>From green and white to Black &amp; Yellow<\/b><br>\nIt has been a while since BVB last lost to VfL in the Bundesliga. Back in November 2022, the Wolves won 2-0. Felix Nmecha and Niko Kovac were both there, but both were still wearing green and white at the time. Kovac was head coach of Wolfsburg from 2022 to 2024, while Felix Nmecha played for Wolfsburg from 2021 to 2023. Incidentally, another Nmecha was responsible for the 2-0 scoreline back in November 2022 as Felix's brother Lukas (at VfL from 2021 to 2025) scored in injury time. Since that game, however, Borussia have been unbeaten against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, recording five wins and one draw with a goal difference of 16-2.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Nina Bargel-Neuhaus<\/i><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECvXrI-4phk\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">To the press conference.<\/a><\/p>\n","exportedType":"text/html"},"id":"editable-a33a182adc","prio":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"prio","title":"Prio (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"headline":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"headline","title":"Headline","multiValue":false,"value":"Return to Wolfsburg: \u201cWe can determine our own destiny\u201d","exportedType":"text/plain"},"author":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"author","title":"Author","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"teaserType":"relatedContent","match":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"content-fragment","name":"match","html":"<p>/content/dam/bvbweb/en/matches/football/profis/2025_2026/22/2569229_21_vfl_wolfsburg-borussiadortmund<\/p>","title":"Related Match","multiValue":false,"value":"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/matches/football/profis/2025_2026/22/2569229_21_vfl_wolfsburg-borussiadortmund","exportedType":"text/plain"},"externalId":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"externalId","title":"External ID (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":"-404529504","exportedType":"text/plain"},"displayOnHome":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"displayOnHome","title":"Display in news wall on homepage","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"url":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"url","title":"Vanity URL (LEAVE EMPTY FOR AUTOMATIC VANITY URL. DO NOT EDIT EXISTING VALUES!)","multiValue":false,"value":"2026/2/5/Return-to-Wolfsburg-We-can-determine-our-own-destiny","exportedType":"text/plain"},"push":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"push","title":"Push (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"tags":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"tags","title":"Tags","multiValue":true,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"scheduledPushTime":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"calendar","name":"scheduledPushTime","title":"Scheduled Push Date and Time","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"calendar"},"mainCategory":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"mainCategory","title":"News Type","multiValue":true,"value":["bvbweb:news/category/vorbericht"],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"appExportSuccess":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"appExportSuccess","title":"App Export Successful (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"temporaryAppImage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"temporaryAppImage","title":"App Image","multiValue":true,"value":["/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/vorbericht-wolfsburg/A-Kovac.png"],"exportedType":"text/plain"}}

{"subCategory":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"subCategory","title":"Departments","multiValue":true,"value":"Pre-Match Report","exportedType":"text/plain"},"dataLayer":{"editable-d53573e198":{"dc:description":"<p>Borussia Dortmund will face VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday. Kick-off is at 15:30 CET.&nbsp;We have summarised all the information about our Bundesliga away game in a compact format. This page will be updated if there is any news.<\/p>\n","xdm:linkURL":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/5/Countdown-to-Wolfsburg-broadcast-weather-referee.html","@type":"/apps/bvbweb/components/newssliderelements/editable","dc:title":"Countdown to Wolfsburg: broadcast, weather, referee","repo:modifyDate":"2026-02-05T10:30:00Z"}},"displayTag":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"displayTag","title":"Display Department","multiValue":true,"value":[""],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"metadescription":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"metadescription","title":"Meta Description","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"linkTarget":"_self","link":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/5/Countdown-to-Wolfsburg-broadcast-weather-referee.html","stageImages":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"stageImages","title":"Image (Stage Image)","multiValue":true,"value":["/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/bl-countdown/66M-BVB-Wolfsb.jpg"],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"experience":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"experience","title":"Experience Fragment","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"appExport":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"appExport","title":"App Export (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"showDate":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"calendar","name":"showDate","title":"Show Date and Time (CET)","multiValue":false,"value":"05.02.26 10:30 Z","exportedType":"calendar"},"teaserText":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"teaserText","html":"<p>Borussia Dortmund will face VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday. Kick-off is at 15:30 CET.&nbsp;We have summarised all the information about our Bundesliga away game in a compact format. This page will be updated if there is any news.<\/p>\n","title":"Teaser Text","multiValue":false,"value":"Borussia Dortmund will face VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday. Kick-off is at 15:30 CET. We have summarised all the information about our Bundesliga away game in a compact format. This page will be updated if there is any news.","exportedType":"text/html"},"scheduledPush":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"scheduledPush","title":"Scheduled Push Notification?","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"disableAdsOnNewsPage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"disableAdsOnNewsPage","title":"Disable Ads on News Page","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"text":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"text","html":"<p><b>Live broadcast: Sky und Netradio<br>\n<\/b>The match will be broadcast live on Sky Bundesliga and Sky Sport Top Event from 15:15 CET. Pre-match coverage begins at 14:00 CET. Britta Hofmann will host the programme, with Dietmar Hamann providing expert analysis. Martin Groß will provide commentary during the match.&nbsp;BVB Netradio will be reporting through the usual Black &amp; Yellow lens. Reporters are Martin Ammeling and Boris Rupert. BVB Netradio will start 15 minutes before kick-off.&nbsp;It is available to everyone on&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.bvb.de/de/de.html\">the homepage<\/a>&nbsp;and in the BVB app on&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.bvb.de/de/de/allgemein/aktion/bvb-app.html\">iPhone and Android devices<\/a>. A summary of the match, as well as the press conference and comments on the game, will be available on BVB-TV, among other places.<\/p>\n<p><b>Referee: first for Gerach<br>\n<\/b>Timo Gerach's 26th appearance in the Bundesliga will be his first involving Borussia Dortmund. The 39-year-old business economist from Landau-Queichheim will referee the match at VfL Wolfsburg. Alexander Sather and Patrick Kessel are the assistant referees, with Nicolas Winter serving as VAR.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/bl-countdown/66-Gerach.jpg\" data-assetref=\"66-Gerach-1770282899146\"><\/p>\n<p><b>Weather: cold and damp<br>\n<\/b>The weather forecast for Saturday is rain throughout the day. The rain will become heavier at times, with temperatures between zero degrees in the morning and evening and three degrees in the afternoon. The rain may turn to snow in the evening. The probability of rain is 80%.<\/p>\n<p><b>Live ticker: over to the app<br>\n<\/b>BVB's digital channels operate at full throttle on matchday. And that's not only the case during the match, but throughout the matchday too \u2013 starting at 09:09 CET, of course. In &quot;Matchday Mode&quot;, the BVB app (<a href=\"https://go.bvb.de/app?p=socialmedia\">download<\/a>) provides news, pictures, posts, videos, statistics and plenty more match info besides. The live ticker starts at kick-off and updates you on all the important moments. In addition to the live ticker, there will be full match highlights, statistics and first-hand info on our social media channels Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The match report plus reactions and facts will follow on the&nbsp; website and on the app after the final whistle.<\/p>\n","title":"Text","multiValue":false,"value":"<p><b>Live broadcast: Sky und Netradio<br>\n<\/b>The match will be broadcast live on Sky Bundesliga and Sky Sport Top Event from 15:15 CET. Pre-match coverage begins at 14:00 CET. Britta Hofmann will host the programme, with Dietmar Hamann providing expert analysis. Martin Groß will provide commentary during the match.&nbsp;BVB Netradio will be reporting through the usual Black &amp; Yellow lens. Reporters are Martin Ammeling and Boris Rupert. BVB Netradio will start 15 minutes before kick-off.&nbsp;It is available to everyone on&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.bvb.de/de/de.html\">the homepage<\/a>&nbsp;and in the BVB app on&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.bvb.de/de/de/allgemein/aktion/bvb-app.html\">iPhone and Android devices<\/a>. A summary of the match, as well as the press conference and comments on the game, will be available on BVB-TV, among other places.<\/p>\n<p><b>Referee: first for Gerach<br>\n<\/b>Timo Gerach's 26th appearance in the Bundesliga will be his first involving Borussia Dortmund. The 39-year-old business economist from Landau-Queichheim will referee the match at VfL Wolfsburg. Alexander Sather and Patrick Kessel are the assistant referees, with Nicolas Winter serving as VAR.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/bl-countdown/66-Gerach.jpg\" data-assetref=\"66-Gerach-1770282899146\"><\/p>\n<p><b>Weather: cold and damp<br>\n<\/b>The weather forecast for Saturday is rain throughout the day. The rain will become heavier at times, with temperatures between zero degrees in the morning and evening and three degrees in the afternoon. The rain may turn to snow in the evening. The probability of rain is 80%.<\/p>\n<p><b>Live ticker: over to the app<br>\n<\/b>BVB's digital channels operate at full throttle on matchday. And that's not only the case during the match, but throughout the matchday too \u2013 starting at 09:09 CET, of course. In &quot;Matchday Mode&quot;, the BVB app (<a href=\"https://go.bvb.de/app?p=socialmedia\">download<\/a>) provides news, pictures, posts, videos, statistics and plenty more match info besides. The live ticker starts at kick-off and updates you on all the important moments. In addition to the live ticker, there will be full match highlights, statistics and first-hand info on our social media channels Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The match report plus reactions and facts will follow on the&nbsp; website and on the app after the final whistle.<\/p>\n","exportedType":"text/html"},"id":"editable-d53573e198","prio":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"prio","title":"Prio (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"headline":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"headline","title":"Headline","multiValue":false,"value":"Countdown to Wolfsburg: broadcast, weather, referee","exportedType":"text/plain"},"author":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"author","title":"Author","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"teaserType":"relatedContent","match":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"content-fragment","name":"match","html":"<p>/content/dam/bvbweb/en/matches/football/profis/2025_2026/22/2569229_21_vfl_wolfsburg-borussiadortmund<\/p>","title":"Related Match","multiValue":false,"value":"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/matches/football/profis/2025_2026/22/2569229_21_vfl_wolfsburg-borussiadortmund","exportedType":"text/plain"},"externalId":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"externalId","title":"External ID (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":"-1778491941","exportedType":"text/plain"},"displayOnHome":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"displayOnHome","title":"Display in news wall on homepage","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"url":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"url","title":"Vanity URL (LEAVE EMPTY FOR AUTOMATIC VANITY URL. DO NOT EDIT EXISTING VALUES!)","multiValue":false,"value":"2026/2/5/Countdown-to-Wolfsburg-broadcast-weather-referee","exportedType":"text/plain"},"push":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"push","title":"Push (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"tags":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"tags","title":"Tags","multiValue":true,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"scheduledPushTime":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"calendar","name":"scheduledPushTime","title":"Scheduled Push Date and Time","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"calendar"},"mainCategory":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"mainCategory","title":"News Type","multiValue":true,"value":["bvbweb:news/category/vorbericht"],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"appExportSuccess":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"appExportSuccess","title":"App Export Successful (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"temporaryAppImage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"temporaryAppImage","title":"App Image","multiValue":true,"value":["/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/05/bl-countdown/66A-BVB-Wolfsb.jpg"],"exportedType":"text/plain"}}

{"subCategory":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"subCategory","title":"Departments","multiValue":true,"value":"News","exportedType":"text/plain"},"dataLayer":{"editable-a681d4a835":{"dc:description":"<p>The German Football League (DFL) has&nbsp;announced the exact schedule for matchdays 25 to 27 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. Borussia Dortmund will play three times on Saturday during this period.<\/p>\n","xdm:linkURL":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/4/DFL-announces-Bundesliga-matchdays-in-March.html","@type":"/apps/bvbweb/components/newssliderelements/editable","dc:title":"DFL announces Bundesliga matchdays in March","repo:modifyDate":"2026-02-04T10:00:00Z"}},"displayTag":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"displayTag","title":"Display Department","multiValue":true,"value":[""],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"metadescription":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"metadescription","title":"Meta Description","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"linkTarget":"_self","link":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/4/DFL-announces-Bundesliga-matchdays-in-March.html","stageImages":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"stageImages","title":"Image (Stage Image)","multiValue":true,"value":["/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/04/ansetzungen/Stadion-Fans.jpg"],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"experience":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"experience","title":"Experience Fragment","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"appExport":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"appExport","title":"App Export (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"showDate":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"calendar","name":"showDate","title":"Show Date and Time (CET)","multiValue":false,"value":"04.02.26 10:00 Z","exportedType":"calendar"},"teaserText":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"teaserText","html":"<p>The German Football League (DFL) has&nbsp;announced the exact schedule for matchdays 25 to 27 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. Borussia Dortmund will play three times on Saturday during this period.<\/p>\n","title":"Teaser Text","multiValue":false,"value":"The German Football League (DFL) has announced the exact schedule for matchdays 25 to 27 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. Borussia Dortmund will play three times on Saturday during this period.","exportedType":"text/html"},"scheduledPush":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"scheduledPush","title":"Scheduled Push Notification?","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"disableAdsOnNewsPage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"disableAdsOnNewsPage","title":"Disable Ads on News Page","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"text":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"text","html":"<p>On matchday 25, BVB will play 1. FC Köln on Saturday evening (7 March, 18:30 CET). BVB will continue on matchday 26 at home against FC Augsburg (Saturday, 14 March, 15:30 CET), and a week later, the Black &amp; Yellows will host Hamburger SV at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on Saturday evening (21 March, 18:30 CET).<\/p>\n<h2>The Bundesliga fixtures at a glance:<\/h2>\n<table cellpadding=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"1\">\n<tbody><tr><td>Matchday<\/td>\n<td>Date<\/td>\n<td>Match<\/td>\n<td>Result<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>1<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 23.08., 18:30 CET<\/td>\n<td>FC St. Pauli - BVB<\/td>\n<td>3-3<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>2<\/td>\n<td>Su., 31.08., 17:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - Union Berlin<\/td>\n<td>3-0<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>3<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 13.09., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>1. FC Heidenheim - BVB<\/td>\n<td>0-2<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>4<\/td>\n<td>Su., 21.09., 19:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - VfL Wolfsburg<\/td>\n<td>1-0<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>5<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 27.09., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>1. FSV Mainz 05 - BVB<\/td>\n<td>0-2<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>6<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 04.10., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - Leipzig<\/td>\n<td>1-1<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>7<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 18.10., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>Bayern München - BVB<\/td>\n<td>2-1<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>8<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 25.10., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - 1. FC Köln<\/td>\n<td>1-0<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>9<\/td>\n<td>Fr., 31.10., 20:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>FC Augsburg - BVB<\/td>\n<td>0-1<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>10<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 08.11., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>Hamburger SV - BVB<\/td>\n<td>1-1<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>11<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 22.11., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - VfB Stuttgart<\/td>\n<td>3-3<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>12<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 29.11., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>Bayer Leverkusen - BVB<\/td>\n<td>1-2<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>13<\/td>\n<td>Su., 07.12., 17:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim<\/td>\n<td>2-0<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>14<\/td>\n<td>Su., 14.12., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>SC Freiburg - BVB<\/td>\n<td>1-1<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>15<\/td>\n<td>Fr., 19.12., 20:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - Bor. Mönchengladbach<\/td>\n<td>2-0<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td colspan=\"4\">Winter break<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>16<\/td>\n<td>Fr., 09.01., 20:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>Eintracht Frankfurt - BVB<\/td>\n<td>3:3<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>17<\/td>\n<td>Tu., 13.01., 20:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - Werder Bremen<\/td>\n<td>3:0<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>18<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 17.01., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - FC St. Pauli<\/td>\n<td>3:2<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>19<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 24.01., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>Union Berlin - BVB<\/td>\n<td>0:3<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>20<\/td>\n<td>Su., 01.02., 17:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - 1. FC Heidenheim<\/td>\n<td>3:2<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>21<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 07.02., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>VfL Wolfsburg - BVB<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>22<\/td>\n<td>Fr., 13.02., 20:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - 1. FSV Mainz 05<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>23<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 21.02., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>Leipzig - BVB<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>24<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 28.02., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - Bayern München<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>25<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 07.03., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>1. FC Köln - Borussia Dortmund<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>26<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 14.03., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - FC Augsburg<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>27<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 21.03., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - Hamburger SV<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n","title":"Text","multiValue":false,"value":"<p>On matchday 25, BVB will play 1. FC Köln on Saturday evening (7 March, 18:30 CET). BVB will continue on matchday 26 at home against FC Augsburg (Saturday, 14 March, 15:30 CET), and a week later, the Black &amp; Yellows will host Hamburger SV at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on Saturday evening (21 March, 18:30 CET).<\/p>\n<h2>The Bundesliga fixtures at a glance:<\/h2>\n<table cellpadding=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"1\">\n<tbody><tr><td>Matchday<\/td>\n<td>Date<\/td>\n<td>Match<\/td>\n<td>Result<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>1<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 23.08., 18:30 CET<\/td>\n<td>FC St. Pauli - BVB<\/td>\n<td>3-3<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>2<\/td>\n<td>Su., 31.08., 17:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - Union Berlin<\/td>\n<td>3-0<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>3<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 13.09., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>1. FC Heidenheim - BVB<\/td>\n<td>0-2<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>4<\/td>\n<td>Su., 21.09., 19:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - VfL Wolfsburg<\/td>\n<td>1-0<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>5<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 27.09., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>1. FSV Mainz 05 - BVB<\/td>\n<td>0-2<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>6<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 04.10., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - Leipzig<\/td>\n<td>1-1<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>7<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 18.10., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>Bayern München - BVB<\/td>\n<td>2-1<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>8<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 25.10., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - 1. FC Köln<\/td>\n<td>1-0<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>9<\/td>\n<td>Fr., 31.10., 20:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>FC Augsburg - BVB<\/td>\n<td>0-1<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>10<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 08.11., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>Hamburger SV - BVB<\/td>\n<td>1-1<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>11<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 22.11., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - VfB Stuttgart<\/td>\n<td>3-3<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>12<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 29.11., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>Bayer Leverkusen - BVB<\/td>\n<td>1-2<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>13<\/td>\n<td>Su., 07.12., 17:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim<\/td>\n<td>2-0<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>14<\/td>\n<td>Su., 14.12., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>SC Freiburg - BVB<\/td>\n<td>1-1<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>15<\/td>\n<td>Fr., 19.12., 20:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - Bor. Mönchengladbach<\/td>\n<td>2-0<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td colspan=\"4\">Winter break<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>16<\/td>\n<td>Fr., 09.01., 20:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>Eintracht Frankfurt - BVB<\/td>\n<td>3:3<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>17<\/td>\n<td>Tu., 13.01., 20:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - Werder Bremen<\/td>\n<td>3:0<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>18<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 17.01., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - FC St. Pauli<\/td>\n<td>3:2<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>19<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 24.01., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>Union Berlin - BVB<\/td>\n<td>0:3<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>20<\/td>\n<td>Su., 01.02., 17:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - 1. FC Heidenheim<\/td>\n<td>3:2<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>21<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 07.02., 15:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>VfL Wolfsburg - BVB<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>22<\/td>\n<td>Fr., 13.02., 20:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - 1. FSV Mainz 05<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>23<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 21.02., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>Leipzig - BVB<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>24<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 28.02., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>BVB - Bayern München<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>25<\/td>\n<td>Sa., 07.03., 18:30&nbsp;CET<\/td>\n<td>1. 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A conversation about numbers, dreams and faith, family and friends, street football and a very special victory bonus...","exportedType":"text/html"},"scheduledPush":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"scheduledPush","title":"Scheduled Push Notification?","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"disableAdsOnNewsPage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"disableAdsOnNewsPage","title":"Disable Ads on News Page","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"text":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"text","html":"<p><b>What are your aims, hope and dreams for the new year?<br>\n <\/b>Both the team and I have set ourselves a points target. We want to do as well as possible this season, so it's important that we perform at our best in every game.<\/p>\n<p><b>Can you tell us what this points target is?<br>\n<\/b>Actually, I can do tell you. We've divided the season into blocks, and we need four wins in each block to reach the points target. Everyone can work out how many that is themselves&nbsp;(laughs).<\/p>\n<p><b>If the tabloids are to be believed, you no longer have any goals for this season after your unfortunate exit from the DFB-Pokal...<br>\n<\/b>Our exit from the DFB-Pokal against Leverkusen was very, very tough to take. We had actually set ourselves the goal of winning the whole competition because you have more chance of winning the cup than the other two competitions we're in because there are far fewer games. But that doesn't mean the season is over and we still have ambitious goals. It would be the wrong approach if we went into games without believing we can win. Our initial goal is to win the next few games and perform at our best, and then&nbsp; we'll see how everything else turns out in due course.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/03/anton-aus-der-borussia/Anton-DFB.jpg\" data-assetref=\"Anton-DFB-1770117501762\"><\/p>\n<p><b>The myth that a professional footballer's working day ends after 90 minutes of training has long been dispelled. What does a typical weekday look like for you?<br>\n<\/b>If I don't have to take the children to nursery, it's great for me because it means I get an extra half hour in bed and can still get to training quite early. As you get older, it's crucial that you recover well and activate your muscles properly. Then you have training followed by strength exercises, recovery exercises and treatments. It all adds up. It sounds simple, but it's really time-consuming. But I can't complain. It's exactly how I imagined it would be as a child. But of course, you have to invest a lot to be able to perform at your best on the pitch.<\/p>\n<p><b>Is it the icing on the cake to play in front of over 81,000 fans at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on a Saturday?<br>\n<\/b>Even though I've already played a few games, it's an incredible feeling to play in front of the fans. I always think back to my first games when things like this happen. I'll probably only really understand what it all means when I hang up my boots and reflect on it.<\/p>\n<p><b>You got your secondary school diploma with advanced courses in biology and mathematics. Are you still a fan of numbers?<br>\n<\/b>Yes, and I'm looking forward to being able to help my children a little when they have their first maths lessons. I hope I still know how to do it, because it's been a long time. I've always had a knack for working with numbers and an understanding of numbers. Maths has always come very easily to me.<\/p>\n<p><b>Well then, let's see how good you are with numbers. What was your best tackle success rate this season?<br>\n<\/b>84%.<\/p>\n<p><b>Impressive! It was exactly 83.3% away against Mainz. In which game did you contest the most tackles?<\/b><br>\nThat's a good question. I need some help.<\/p>\n<p><b>24 at home against Stuttgart. Where did you win every header?&nbsp;<\/b><br>\nI'd say against Heidenheim.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/03/anton-aus-der-borussia/Anton-Kopfball.jpg\" data-assetref=\"Anton-Kopfball-1770117516085\"><\/p>\n<p><b>150 kilometres away as the crow flies, in Munich. In which game did you have the most shots at goal?<\/b><br>\nI think it was Köln, wasn't it?<\/p>\n<p><b>Correct. Three shots, but none of them went in unfortunately. Karim Adeyemi has clocked over 35 km/h. What was your top speed?<\/b><br>\n33! (Editor's note: Correct! In the match against Köln, Waldemar Anton was recorded at a top speed of 32.8 km/h).<\/p>\n<p><b>On paper, that's not much slower than the speed of a fast sprinter. Or does 2 km/h make a huge difference on the pitch?<\/b><br>\nNo, not at all. As a centre-back, you're in a different position. If you don't necessarily start running together from a line, then you have an advantage as a centre-back because you anticipate where you need to be and how to run to the ball. Because there's always a ball in play...<\/p>\n<p><b>Who have you had the most touches of the ball against so far?<br>\n<\/b>Wow, those are really good questions. I haven't thought about that before. Most touches of the ball were against Union Berlin, right?<\/p>\n<p><b>Heidenheim.<\/b><br>\nThat's right, we also had an extra player. (Editor's note: Heidenheim's Budu Zivzivadze was shown a red card in the 22nd minute.)<\/p>\n<p><b>As a right-sided centre-back or central defender in a back three, are the demands on you as a playmaker greater than when playing as a centre-back in a back four?<br>\n<\/b>Not really. The system is a bit different, but the tasks are basically the same for a centre-back: first and foremost, you have to defend.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Where do you prefer to play: on the right or in the centre of a back three?&nbsp;<br>\n<\/b>I like both positions very much, but if I could choose, I would play in the centre because you can control more from that position and communicate more with the boys, which is very, very important throughout the game. The main thing is to be able to communicate with both defensive midfielders and not just one. But that's not always possible because of the crowd and the atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p><b>In Jürgen Kohler's day, defenders were considered to be tough guys. However, we have found only one Bundesliga match this season in which you conceded more than one foul: you had two in Augsburg. Has the coach instructed you to give the opponent as few free kicks as possible?&nbsp;<br>\n<\/b>No, not at all. We have very, very good centre-backs here at Borussia Dortmund. Everyone aims to win the ball and keep it in play. Whether it's the number of tackles, touches of the ball or shots,&nbsp; your personal performance data varies significantly from game to game depending on the opponent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>What is striking, however, is that the distance you cover ranges from 11.1 to 11.6 kilometres per game, a range of just 500 metres. Can you explain this?&nbsp;<br>\n<\/b>That has actually changed dramatically compared to the past. We want to have as much possession as possible, and nowadays, even the centre-backs have to be able to open up the game, so it's important to make runs off the ball. Even if you don't get the ball, it's still very important because it opens up other spaces. Those are the metres you cover with and without the ball. And that's also the way we play: defending on the front foot, keeping the pressure on, not waiting around, playing man-to-man. That's how you rack up the kilometres.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Note: The interview was conducted at the beginning of December, so Bundesliga match days 1\u201312 formed the basis for this performance data.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>In his first year at BVB, Waldemar Anton clocked up fewer kilometres. One of the reasons for this was two consecutive muscle fibre tears, which were the first serious thigh injuries in his ten-year professional career. This happened at a time when Borussia Dortmund was in the midst of a worsening crisis and could have really used the experience and leadership qualities of the former VfB Stuttgart captain. That has completely changed at the start of this season. &quot;Whether he's playing at right centre-back or in the centre, where he has even more responsibility, he's a constant presence,&quot; says Niko Kovac about Waldemar Anton.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>How important is it for you that Niko Kovac has absolute confidence in you?<\/b><br>\nConfidence is very important for a player. The desire to always play doesn't come from nowhere \u2013 you have to be mentally prepared and put the hard work in yourself. Last season didn't go quite as the team or I would have liked, especially at the beginning. We were definitely unlucky at times, but I don't really believe in that, to be honest. I think it's more about performance and if you work hard whether you play or not. Towards the end of the season, things became much more stable and we still managed to qualify for the Champions League after performing significantly better and climbing back up the table. That was extremely important. We generally have a good atmosphere in the team, where everyone pushes themselves to their limits in training and in matches. You can't rest because there's a player behind you who also wants to play. That's crucial. It's the only way we'll get better.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/03/anton-aus-der-borussia/Anton-Nahaufnahme.jpg\" data-assetref=\"Anton-Nahaufnahme-1770117535096\"><\/p>\n<p><i>Work. Work hard for everything. That's what his parents taught him. Waldemar Anton was born as Vladimir Anton in Olmaliq in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan on 20 July 1996. His parents are Russian Germans who moved to Hanover with their son as ethnic German resettlers in 1998. Waldemar could hardly speak German when he started nursery, but he attended a good secondary school and successfully passed his secondary school exams with advanced courses in mathematics and biology. His nickname is \u2018Waldi\u2019, but his actual first name is \u2018Wowa\u2019. Anton describes himself as a street footballer and said in an interview with Sport-Bild: &quot;We lived above a kebab shop. We turned the bicycle racks in front of it into goals and played three against three. At the end, the winner got a kebab.&quot; He played for a club for the first time at the age of seven, and in 2008, at the age of 12, he joined the youth academy of Hannover 96. In August 2015, shortly after his 19th birthday, he played his first game in the Regionalliga, and just under a year later he made his debut in the Bundesliga 2. In 2017, he was promoted to the Bundesliga. In the summer of 2018,&nbsp;shortly after his 22nd birthday, he was named captain by then-coach André Breitenreiter, making him the youngest captain in the Bundesliga.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>You came to Germany 27 years ago as an ethnic German resettler. What shaped you? What were the moments that you would now say were decisive?<br>\n<\/b>Seeing how my parents built everything up here was probably the most important thing as a child. My mother told me that she, my father and I came here without any luggage or belongings. And then, as a child, you think that you have to help too. That shaped me.<\/p>\n<p><b>In your first months at nursery, you are said to have spoken hardly a word of German, but you managed to pass your secondary school exams. What advice would you give to young people who come to Germany with a similar background \u2013 especially here in Dortmund, where the Nordstadt district is characterised by immigration?<br>\n<\/b>You have to have a dream, and you have to believe in it. That's something that can always lift you up when things aren't going so well. And, of course, you have to do everything you can to achieve what you set out to do. And it helps to listen to your parents. You may not always want to admit it, but they often give good advice. I'm sure I've also done things that weren't necessarily what they advised, so then you fall down. The second time around, you realise that you can't do that now and they were right after all. I could imagine that it might also help if you have an older brother or sister.<\/p>\n<p><b>Did you grow up with any siblings?<br>\n<\/b>No, I didn't have any siblings.<\/p>\n<p><b>Would you have liked to have had any siblings?<\/b><br>\nYes, I would have liked to have had some siblings. But thankfully, I always had a few older friends who looked out for me a bit and who had also gone through some tough times.<\/p>\n<p><b>When you walk past a kebab shop today, what's your first thought?<\/b><br>\nMy childhood and playing football in front of the kebab shop. Those are things that will stay with me forever.<\/p>\n<p><b>And the winner got a kebab?<\/b><br>\nYes, that's right. They always got a delicious kebab.<\/p>\n<p><i>Author: Boris Rupert<br>\n Photography: Alexandre Simoes<\/i><\/p>\n<p>The text is taken from the member magazine BORUSSIA. BVB members receive BORUSSIA free of charge every month. Click&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.bvb.de/Der-BVB/Mitgliedschaft/Mitglied-werden\">here<\/a>&nbsp;to access the membership application form.<\/p>\n","title":"Text","multiValue":false,"value":"<p><b>What are your aims, hope and dreams for the new year?<br>\n <\/b>Both the team and I have set ourselves a points target. We want to do as well as possible this season, so it's important that we perform at our best in every game.<\/p>\n<p><b>Can you tell us what this points target is?<br>\n<\/b>Actually, I can do tell you. We've divided the season into blocks, and we need four wins in each block to reach the points target. Everyone can work out how many that is themselves&nbsp;(laughs).<\/p>\n<p><b>If the tabloids are to be believed, you no longer have any goals for this season after your unfortunate exit from the DFB-Pokal...<br>\n<\/b>Our exit from the DFB-Pokal against Leverkusen was very, very tough to take. We had actually set ourselves the goal of winning the whole competition because you have more chance of winning the cup than the other two competitions we're in because there are far fewer games. But that doesn't mean the season is over and we still have ambitious goals. It would be the wrong approach if we went into games without believing we can win. Our initial goal is to win the next few games and perform at our best, and then&nbsp; we'll see how everything else turns out in due course.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/03/anton-aus-der-borussia/Anton-DFB.jpg\" data-assetref=\"Anton-DFB-1770117501762\"><\/p>\n<p><b>The myth that a professional footballer's working day ends after 90 minutes of training has long been dispelled. What does a typical weekday look like for you?<br>\n<\/b>If I don't have to take the children to nursery, it's great for me because it means I get an extra half hour in bed and can still get to training quite early. As you get older, it's crucial that you recover well and activate your muscles properly. Then you have training followed by strength exercises, recovery exercises and treatments. It all adds up. It sounds simple, but it's really time-consuming. But I can't complain. It's exactly how I imagined it would be as a child. But of course, you have to invest a lot to be able to perform at your best on the pitch.<\/p>\n<p><b>Is it the icing on the cake to play in front of over 81,000 fans at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on a Saturday?<br>\n<\/b>Even though I've already played a few games, it's an incredible feeling to play in front of the fans. I always think back to my first games when things like this happen. I'll probably only really understand what it all means when I hang up my boots and reflect on it.<\/p>\n<p><b>You got your secondary school diploma with advanced courses in biology and mathematics. Are you still a fan of numbers?<br>\n<\/b>Yes, and I'm looking forward to being able to help my children a little when they have their first maths lessons. I hope I still know how to do it, because it's been a long time. I've always had a knack for working with numbers and an understanding of numbers. Maths has always come very easily to me.<\/p>\n<p><b>Well then, let's see how good you are with numbers. What was your best tackle success rate this season?<br>\n<\/b>84%.<\/p>\n<p><b>Impressive! It was exactly 83.3% away against Mainz. In which game did you contest the most tackles?<\/b><br>\nThat's a good question. I need some help.<\/p>\n<p><b>24 at home against Stuttgart. Where did you win every header?&nbsp;<\/b><br>\nI'd say against Heidenheim.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/03/anton-aus-der-borussia/Anton-Kopfball.jpg\" data-assetref=\"Anton-Kopfball-1770117516085\"><\/p>\n<p><b>150 kilometres away as the crow flies, in Munich. In which game did you have the most shots at goal?<\/b><br>\nI think it was Köln, wasn't it?<\/p>\n<p><b>Correct. Three shots, but none of them went in unfortunately. Karim Adeyemi has clocked over 35 km/h. What was your top speed?<\/b><br>\n33! (Editor's note: Correct! In the match against Köln, Waldemar Anton was recorded at a top speed of 32.8 km/h).<\/p>\n<p><b>On paper, that's not much slower than the speed of a fast sprinter. Or does 2 km/h make a huge difference on the pitch?<\/b><br>\nNo, not at all. As a centre-back, you're in a different position. If you don't necessarily start running together from a line, then you have an advantage as a centre-back because you anticipate where you need to be and how to run to the ball. Because there's always a ball in play...<\/p>\n<p><b>Who have you had the most touches of the ball against so far?<br>\n<\/b>Wow, those are really good questions. I haven't thought about that before. Most touches of the ball were against Union Berlin, right?<\/p>\n<p><b>Heidenheim.<\/b><br>\nThat's right, we also had an extra player. (Editor's note: Heidenheim's Budu Zivzivadze was shown a red card in the 22nd minute.)<\/p>\n<p><b>As a right-sided centre-back or central defender in a back three, are the demands on you as a playmaker greater than when playing as a centre-back in a back four?<br>\n<\/b>Not really. The system is a bit different, but the tasks are basically the same for a centre-back: first and foremost, you have to defend.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Where do you prefer to play: on the right or in the centre of a back three?&nbsp;<br>\n<\/b>I like both positions very much, but if I could choose, I would play in the centre because you can control more from that position and communicate more with the boys, which is very, very important throughout the game. The main thing is to be able to communicate with both defensive midfielders and not just one. But that's not always possible because of the crowd and the atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p><b>In Jürgen Kohler's day, defenders were considered to be tough guys. However, we have found only one Bundesliga match this season in which you conceded more than one foul: you had two in Augsburg. Has the coach instructed you to give the opponent as few free kicks as possible?&nbsp;<br>\n<\/b>No, not at all. We have very, very good centre-backs here at Borussia Dortmund. Everyone aims to win the ball and keep it in play. Whether it's the number of tackles, touches of the ball or shots,&nbsp; your personal performance data varies significantly from game to game depending on the opponent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>What is striking, however, is that the distance you cover ranges from 11.1 to 11.6 kilometres per game, a range of just 500 metres. Can you explain this?&nbsp;<br>\n<\/b>That has actually changed dramatically compared to the past. We want to have as much possession as possible, and nowadays, even the centre-backs have to be able to open up the game, so it's important to make runs off the ball. Even if you don't get the ball, it's still very important because it opens up other spaces. Those are the metres you cover with and without the ball. And that's also the way we play: defending on the front foot, keeping the pressure on, not waiting around, playing man-to-man. That's how you rack up the kilometres.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Note: The interview was conducted at the beginning of December, so Bundesliga match days 1\u201312 formed the basis for this performance data.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>In his first year at BVB, Waldemar Anton clocked up fewer kilometres. One of the reasons for this was two consecutive muscle fibre tears, which were the first serious thigh injuries in his ten-year professional career. This happened at a time when Borussia Dortmund was in the midst of a worsening crisis and could have really used the experience and leadership qualities of the former VfB Stuttgart captain. That has completely changed at the start of this season. &quot;Whether he's playing at right centre-back or in the centre, where he has even more responsibility, he's a constant presence,&quot; says Niko Kovac about Waldemar Anton.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>How important is it for you that Niko Kovac has absolute confidence in you?<\/b><br>\nConfidence is very important for a player. The desire to always play doesn't come from nowhere \u2013 you have to be mentally prepared and put the hard work in yourself. Last season didn't go quite as the team or I would have liked, especially at the beginning. We were definitely unlucky at times, but I don't really believe in that, to be honest. I think it's more about performance and if you work hard whether you play or not. Towards the end of the season, things became much more stable and we still managed to qualify for the Champions League after performing significantly better and climbing back up the table. That was extremely important. We generally have a good atmosphere in the team, where everyone pushes themselves to their limits in training and in matches. You can't rest because there's a player behind you who also wants to play. That's crucial. It's the only way we'll get better.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/03/anton-aus-der-borussia/Anton-Nahaufnahme.jpg\" data-assetref=\"Anton-Nahaufnahme-1770117535096\"><\/p>\n<p><i>Work. Work hard for everything. That's what his parents taught him. Waldemar Anton was born as Vladimir Anton in Olmaliq in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan on 20 July 1996. His parents are Russian Germans who moved to Hanover with their son as ethnic German resettlers in 1998. Waldemar could hardly speak German when he started nursery, but he attended a good secondary school and successfully passed his secondary school exams with advanced courses in mathematics and biology. His nickname is \u2018Waldi\u2019, but his actual first name is \u2018Wowa\u2019. Anton describes himself as a street footballer and said in an interview with Sport-Bild: &quot;We lived above a kebab shop. We turned the bicycle racks in front of it into goals and played three against three. At the end, the winner got a kebab.&quot; He played for a club for the first time at the age of seven, and in 2008, at the age of 12, he joined the youth academy of Hannover 96. In August 2015, shortly after his 19th birthday, he played his first game in the Regionalliga, and just under a year later he made his debut in the Bundesliga 2. In 2017, he was promoted to the Bundesliga. In the summer of 2018,&nbsp;shortly after his 22nd birthday, he was named captain by then-coach André Breitenreiter, making him the youngest captain in the Bundesliga.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>You came to Germany 27 years ago as an ethnic German resettler. What shaped you? What were the moments that you would now say were decisive?<br>\n<\/b>Seeing how my parents built everything up here was probably the most important thing as a child. My mother told me that she, my father and I came here without any luggage or belongings. And then, as a child, you think that you have to help too. That shaped me.<\/p>\n<p><b>In your first months at nursery, you are said to have spoken hardly a word of German, but you managed to pass your secondary school exams. What advice would you give to young people who come to Germany with a similar background \u2013 especially here in Dortmund, where the Nordstadt district is characterised by immigration?<br>\n<\/b>You have to have a dream, and you have to believe in it. That's something that can always lift you up when things aren't going so well. And, of course, you have to do everything you can to achieve what you set out to do. And it helps to listen to your parents. You may not always want to admit it, but they often give good advice. I'm sure I've also done things that weren't necessarily what they advised, so then you fall down. The second time around, you realise that you can't do that now and they were right after all. I could imagine that it might also help if you have an older brother or sister.<\/p>\n<p><b>Did you grow up with any siblings?<br>\n<\/b>No, I didn't have any siblings.<\/p>\n<p><b>Would you have liked to have had any siblings?<\/b><br>\nYes, I would have liked to have had some siblings. But thankfully, I always had a few older friends who looked out for me a bit and who had also gone through some tough times.<\/p>\n<p><b>When you walk past a kebab shop today, what's your first thought?<\/b><br>\nMy childhood and playing football in front of the kebab shop. Those are things that will stay with me forever.<\/p>\n<p><b>And the winner got a kebab?<\/b><br>\nYes, that's right. They always got a delicious kebab.<\/p>\n<p><i>Author: Boris Rupert<br>\n Photography: Alexandre Simoes<\/i><\/p>\n<p>The text is taken from the member magazine BORUSSIA. BVB members receive BORUSSIA free of charge every month. Click&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.bvb.de/Der-BVB/Mitgliedschaft/Mitglied-werden\">here<\/a>&nbsp;to access the membership application form.<\/p>\n","exportedType":"text/html"},"id":"editable-d9cae8c3df","prio":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"prio","title":"Prio (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"headline":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"headline","title":"Headline","multiValue":false,"value":"Waldemar Anton: Why you can always rely on him","exportedType":"text/plain"},"author":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"author","title":"Author","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"teaserType":"relatedContent","match":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"content-fragment","name":"match","title":"Related Match","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"externalId":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"externalId","title":"External ID (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":"-690316610","exportedType":"text/plain"},"displayOnHome":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"displayOnHome","title":"Display in news wall on homepage","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"url":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"url","title":"Vanity URL (LEAVE EMPTY FOR AUTOMATIC VANITY URL. 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{"subCategory":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"subCategory","title":"Departments","multiValue":true,"value":"Post-Match Report","exportedType":"text/plain"},"dataLayer":{"editable-5ccac82cf9":{"dc:description":"<p>Five matches, each with exactly three goals scored, four wins, one draw: Borussia Dortmund have made a great start to 2026 in the Bundesliga despite an extremely busy schedule. While all German football fans are dreaming of an open title race, with BVB having reduced the gap to leaders Bayern Munich from nine to six points, Niko Kovac prefers to look \u201cin the rear-view mirror\u201d. Because the game against Heidenheim was not \u201cmasterful\u201d. It was characterised primarily by a sheer determination to secure three points at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK.<\/p>\n","xdm:linkURL":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/2/BVB-in-second-place-and-checking-the-rearview-mirror.html","@type":"/apps/bvbweb/components/newssliderelements/editable","dc:title":"BVB in second place and checking the rearview mirror ","repo:modifyDate":"2026-02-02T12:20:00Z"}},"displayTag":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"displayTag","title":"Display Department","multiValue":true,"value":[""],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"metadescription":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"metadescription","title":"Meta Description","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"linkTarget":"_self","link":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2026/2/2/BVB-in-second-place-and-checking-the-rearview-mirror.html","stageImages":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"stageImages","title":"Image (Stage Image)","multiValue":true,"value":["/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/02/bl-nachbericht/67M-Schlotterbeck-Guirassy.jpg"],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"experience":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"experience","title":"Experience Fragment","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"appExport":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"appExport","title":"App Export (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"showDate":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"calendar","name":"showDate","title":"Show Date and Time (CET)","multiValue":false,"value":"02.02.26 12:20 Z","exportedType":"calendar"},"teaserText":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"teaserText","html":"<p>Five matches, each with exactly three goals scored, four wins, one draw: Borussia Dortmund have made a great start to 2026 in the Bundesliga despite an extremely busy schedule. While all German football fans are dreaming of an open title race, with BVB having reduced the gap to leaders Bayern Munich from nine to six points, Niko Kovac prefers to look \u201cin the rear-view mirror\u201d. Because the game against Heidenheim was not \u201cmasterful\u201d. It was characterised primarily by a sheer determination to secure three points at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK.<\/p>\n","title":"Teaser Text","multiValue":false,"value":"Five matches, each with exactly three goals scored, four wins, one draw: Borussia Dortmund have made a great start to 2026 in the Bundesliga despite an extremely busy schedule. While all German football fans are dreaming of an open title race, with BVB having reduced the gap to leaders Bayern Munich from nine to six points, Niko Kovac prefers to look \u201cin the rear-view mirror\u201d. Because the game against Heidenheim was not \u201cmasterful\u201d. It was characterised primarily by a sheer determination to secure three points at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK.","exportedType":"text/html"},"scheduledPush":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"scheduledPush","title":"Scheduled Push Notification?","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"disableAdsOnNewsPage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"disableAdsOnNewsPage","title":"Disable Ads on News Page","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"text":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"text","html":"<p>\u201cWe're fighting, we're working hard for our victories. That\u2019s an important quality when you're playing games like this. But my focus is clearly on the rear-view mirror for now,\u201d was Niko Kovac\u2019s honest evaluation after a somewhat fortunate but nonetheless deserved 3-2 victory over 1. FC Heidenheim, whose courageous performance was anything but that of a team at the bottom of the table. The statistics clearly favoured Borussia Dortmund: 20 shots to 12, 4.17 to 2.54 x-goals (i.e. the expected number of goals based on the quality of chances), 12:3 corners, 58% possession and also three kilometres more distance covered (BVB: 120.1 / FCH: 117.2) clearly favoured Borussia Dortmund \u2013 but Marvin Pieringer had two great chances to put the visitors 3-1 ahead, and Arijon Ibrahimovic and Mikkel Kaufmann had chances to make it 3-3 in added time. In the past, Borussia Dortmund might have let a game like this slip away.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday evening, however, the team held on to their 3-2 lead and reduced the gap to league leaders Bayern Munich to six points. However, the league leaders\u2019 34-goal superiority in goal difference means that the gap is effectively seven points. And that is exactly seven points (only) ahead of fifth place, assuming Leverkusen win their postponed match against HSV.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are still 14 matches to go,\u201d emphasised Kovac: \u201cI arrived on Matchday 21 last year, so I know how many points are still up for grabs. We\u2019ve managed to jump from 11th to fourth place, and I know full well that the others will try to do the same. That\u2019s why we\u2019re earning points to keep the others chasing us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/02/bl-nachbericht/67-Guirassy-Kovac.jpg\" data-assetref=\"67-Guirassy-Kovac-1770031193156\"><\/p>\n<p>In a game that was \u201cat times chaotic\u201d in the second half (according to Nico Schlotterbeck), BVB initially let a hard-earned 1-0 lead slip away after Waldemar Anton\u2019s goal in the 44th minute, and shortly after half-time they were 2-1 down after Julian Niehues scored twice in quick succession.BVB faltered (Pieringer could have made it 3-1), but they didn\u2019t fall, they fought their way back. After an hour, there was a handball penalty \u2013 and unusual scenes between the now eternal lamenting and the execution. Nico Schlotterbeck, captain for the evening, grabbed the ball.<\/p>\n<p>The regular penalty takers, Emre Can (ill) and Ramy Bensebaini (on the bench), were not on the pitch. Just before the spotkick was taken, Schlotterbeck handed the ball to Serhou Guirassy. It was a ploy, as Schlotterbeck hinted after the game <a href=\"https://www.bvb.de/de/de/aktuelles/news/news.html/2026/2/1/Kovac-Solche-Spiele-moechte-ich-sicherer-schneller-und-frueher-entschieden-sehen.html\">in an interview with DAZN<\/a> and Kovac later explained in more detail at the press conference: \u201cSchlotti laid a false trail. Because often, when the kicker has the ball while everything is still being checked, dozens of opposing players run past, trying to influence and manipulate the kicker. Schlotti simply took charge and gave Serhou the peace and quiet he needed to take the penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/02/bl-nachbericht/67-Fans.jpg\" data-assetref=\"67-Fans-1770031269443\"><\/p>\n<p>Guirassy converted and made it 3-2 just 84 (!) seconds after a counterattack. But five minutes before the end, with BVB\u2019s second penalty, the diversionary tactic didn\u2019t work. Guirassy missed and was thus indirectly responsible for the turbulent final phase, which probably wouldn\u2019t have happened had BVB taken a 4-2 lead. Guirassy was nevertheless the match winner, even if he no longer wants to take penalties in the future. \u201cPenalties are over for me for now,\u201d he said after his fifth miss in all competitions in the past 12 months. \u201cMister 100%,\u201d Emre Can, should be fit again by next Saturday\u2019s away game in Wolfsburg.<br>\n<i>Boris Rupert<\/i><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBci0swFmyQ\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Watch highlights of the match.<\/a><\/p>\n","title":"Text","multiValue":false,"value":"<p>\u201cWe're fighting, we're working hard for our victories. That\u2019s an important quality when you're playing games like this. But my focus is clearly on the rear-view mirror for now,\u201d was Niko Kovac\u2019s honest evaluation after a somewhat fortunate but nonetheless deserved 3-2 victory over 1. FC Heidenheim, whose courageous performance was anything but that of a team at the bottom of the table. The statistics clearly favoured Borussia Dortmund: 20 shots to 12, 4.17 to 2.54 x-goals (i.e. the expected number of goals based on the quality of chances), 12:3 corners, 58% possession and also three kilometres more distance covered (BVB: 120.1 / FCH: 117.2) clearly favoured Borussia Dortmund \u2013 but Marvin Pieringer had two great chances to put the visitors 3-1 ahead, and Arijon Ibrahimovic and Mikkel Kaufmann had chances to make it 3-3 in added time. In the past, Borussia Dortmund might have let a game like this slip away.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday evening, however, the team held on to their 3-2 lead and reduced the gap to league leaders Bayern Munich to six points. However, the league leaders\u2019 34-goal superiority in goal difference means that the gap is effectively seven points. And that is exactly seven points (only) ahead of fifth place, assuming Leverkusen win their postponed match against HSV.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are still 14 matches to go,\u201d emphasised Kovac: \u201cI arrived on Matchday 21 last year, so I know how many points are still up for grabs. We\u2019ve managed to jump from 11th to fourth place, and I know full well that the others will try to do the same. That\u2019s why we\u2019re earning points to keep the others chasing us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/02/bl-nachbericht/67-Guirassy-Kovac.jpg\" data-assetref=\"67-Guirassy-Kovac-1770031193156\"><\/p>\n<p>In a game that was \u201cat times chaotic\u201d in the second half (according to Nico Schlotterbeck), BVB initially let a hard-earned 1-0 lead slip away after Waldemar Anton\u2019s goal in the 44th minute, and shortly after half-time they were 2-1 down after Julian Niehues scored twice in quick succession.BVB faltered (Pieringer could have made it 3-1), but they didn\u2019t fall, they fought their way back. After an hour, there was a handball penalty \u2013 and unusual scenes between the now eternal lamenting and the execution. Nico Schlotterbeck, captain for the evening, grabbed the ball.<\/p>\n<p>The regular penalty takers, Emre Can (ill) and Ramy Bensebaini (on the bench), were not on the pitch. Just before the spotkick was taken, Schlotterbeck handed the ball to Serhou Guirassy. It was a ploy, as Schlotterbeck hinted after the game <a href=\"https://www.bvb.de/de/de/aktuelles/news/news.html/2026/2/1/Kovac-Solche-Spiele-moechte-ich-sicherer-schneller-und-frueher-entschieden-sehen.html\">in an interview with DAZN<\/a> and Kovac later explained in more detail at the press conference: \u201cSchlotti laid a false trail. Because often, when the kicker has the ball while everything is still being checked, dozens of opposing players run past, trying to influence and manipulate the kicker. Schlotti simply took charge and gave Serhou the peace and quiet he needed to take the penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2026/02/02/bl-nachbericht/67-Fans.jpg\" data-assetref=\"67-Fans-1770031269443\"><\/p>\n<p>Guirassy converted and made it 3-2 just 84 (!) seconds after a counterattack. But five minutes before the end, with BVB\u2019s second penalty, the diversionary tactic didn\u2019t work. Guirassy missed and was thus indirectly responsible for the turbulent final phase, which probably wouldn\u2019t have happened had BVB taken a 4-2 lead. Guirassy was nevertheless the match winner, even if he no longer wants to take penalties in the future. \u201cPenalties are over for me for now,\u201d he said after his fifth miss in all competitions in the past 12 months. \u201cMister 100%,\u201d Emre Can, should be fit again by next Saturday\u2019s away game in Wolfsburg.<br>\n<i>Boris Rupert<\/i><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBci0swFmyQ\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Watch highlights of the match.<\/a><\/p>\n","exportedType":"text/html"},"id":"editable-5ccac82cf9","prio":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"prio","title":"Prio (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"headline":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"headline","title":"Headline","multiValue":false,"value":"BVB in second place and checking the rearview mirror ","exportedType":"text/plain"},"author":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"author","title":"Author","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"teaserType":"relatedContent","match":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"content-fragment","name":"match","html":"<p>/content/dam/bvbweb/en/matches/football/profis/2025_2026/22/2569217_20_borussiadortmund-1fcheidenheim1846<\/p>","title":"Related Match","multiValue":false,"value":"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/matches/football/profis/2025_2026/22/2569217_20_borussiadortmund-1fcheidenheim1846","exportedType":"text/plain"},"externalId":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"externalId","title":"External ID (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":"-1242223500","exportedType":"text/plain"},"displayOnHome":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"displayOnHome","title":"Display in news wall on homepage","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"url":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"url","title":"Vanity URL (LEAVE EMPTY FOR AUTOMATIC VANITY URL. 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