1. FC Heidenheim secured their third victory of the 2026/27 2. Bundesliga campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win away to Greuther Fürth on Sunday.
Budu Zivzivadze's first-half header was enough to separate the two sides, with Frank Schmidt's side showing impressive defensive resilience to preserve their lead despite Fürth controlling large periods of the contest.
The result sees Heidenheim move into the top three after four matches, while Fürth suffer their second defeat of the season.
The hosts started brightly and almost opened the scoring inside the opening 10 minutes.
Felix Klaus found ***** e inside the Heidenheim penalty area before getting a shot away, but his effort was unable to beat goalkeeper Thomas Dähne.

#away #bundesliga #sunday #budu

Thomas Stamm makes three changes from the defeat away to Heidenheim. Ahmet Muhamedbegovic, Nicolai Rapp and Jakob Lemmer come into the starting XI.
Uwe Rösler makes two changes to the eleven from the defeat in Osnabrück last time out. Enis ****** aj and Christian Rasmussen come into the eleven.
Dynamo Dresden (4-3-3): Schreiber; Sterner, Muhamedbegovic, Müller, Rossipal; Wagner, Rapp, Hauptmann; Lemmer, Vermeij, Bobzien
VfL Bochum (4-2-3-1): Horn; Olsen, Steinwender, Mets, Wittek; ****** aj, Pannewig; Miyoshi, Rasmussen, Holtmann; Hofmann

#muhamedbegovic

The draw for the second round of the 2026/27 DFB-Pokal took place at the German Football Museum in Dortmund on Saturday evening, producing four ties between Bundesliga clubs and an intriguing reunion between defending champions Bayern Munich and 1. FC Magdeburg.
Bayern will host Magdeburg in a repeat of one of the more memorable cup shocks of the modern era. Then-2. Bundesliga side Magdeburg eliminated the record champions on penalties in the second round of the 2000/01 competition. This time, however, the underdogs will have to attempt another upset at the Allianz Arena.
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund host Werder Bremen while 1. FC Cologne welcome Union Berlin. Hamburger SV face Eintracht Frankfurt at the Volksparkstadion and Bundesliga newcomers SC Paderborn host VfB Stuttgart in the remaining top-flight encounter.
Three sides from below Germany's top two divisions remain in the competition. Regionalliga outfit SSV Jeddeloh II, who stunned relegated Bundesliga club Heidenheim 5-2 in the opening round, were rewarded with a home tie against Hertha BSC. Rot-Weiss Essen host RB Leipzig while SG Sonnenhof Großaspach welcome FC Augsburg.
The second-round fixtures will be played on October 27 and 28. Exact kickoff times will be confirmed at a later date.

#bayern

Werder Bremen have set their sights on Bayern Munich youngster Arijon Ibrahimović as they look to add another attacking option to their squad.
According to DeichStube, Werder have already contacted Bayern to discuss a potential loan move for the 20-year-old. The interest has also been confirmed by Sky, with initial talks between the two clubs having taken place.
However, there is one major obstacle: Werder would first need to offload an attacking player before they could make room for Ibrahimović. Until then, the move is unlikely to progress beyond the exploratory stage.
Ibrahimović is highly rated in Bremen, with the club having followed his development during his loan spell at Heidenheim last season. The versatile attacker can operate on the wing as well as in central midfield and could provide additional options for head coach Daniel Thioune.
For Bayern, both a loan and a permanent transfer are currently being considered. The German champions have reportedly become open to letting Ibrahimović leave after initially planning to keep him as part of their first-team squad. Bayern sporting director Max Eberl has also indicated that a sale could be possible if the right opportunity arises.

#bayern #squad #move #munich

Not to everyone's delight, Elversberg are active in the transfer market ahead of their first-ever top-flight season. The smallest town to be represented in Bundesliga is backed by investor Frank Holzer, who is the head of pharmaceutical company Ursapharm, which didn't go well with the traditional ethos of German football.
After missing out on a promotion the previous season with a narrow defeat to Heidenheim in the playoff, Elversberg faced a similar scare in the final month of the 2. Bundesliga campaign. A defeat to eventually relegated Fortuna Düsseldorf made them wait until the final matchday of the season to write history.
The club from a town of 13,000 inhabitants has only made the jump to the second division in 2023. Despite the promising 2024/25 campaign, few predicted them to be around the top once again since their long-serving coach Horst Steffen was poached by Werder Bremen, while top scorers Fisnik Asllani and Muhammed Damar returned to their parent club Hoffenheim.
And, in the middle of the season, 12-goal hero Younes Ebnoutalib joined Eintracht Frankfurt. To their credit, Vincent Wagner's side maintained their momentum after the departure of the Moroccan attacker with David Mokwa proving to be the perfect replacement.
Their form at the Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde was a big factor as Hertha and Schalke were the only teams to return home with three points. In the end, Elversberg followed the latter to win automatic promotion to Bundesliga.

#elversberg #PROMOTION #final #campaign

THUN, Switzerland (AP) — Swiss champion Thun sold two more players Monday from its surprise ******* le-winning team in a tough start to the season that included a quick exit from the Champions League.
Thun said defender Michael Heule joined Heidenheim in Germany and midfielder Valmir Matoshi went to Sturm Graz, the Austrian club that is in the Europa league this season.
Thun reportedly will receive 3.75 million euros ($4.4 million) in combined transfer fees for the pair, who each played more than 30 league games last season as the newly promoted team stunningly eased to its first Swiss ******* le.
In the first home game of its ******* le defense, Thun lost 6-0 to Young Boys and it was 7-0 to Lech Poznan last week in the first leg of a Europa League qualifying playoff. If Thun is eliminated after the return game Thursday it will play in the third-tier Conference League starting Oct. 15.
Thun began its season in Champions League qualifying rounds in July but was eliminated by Dinamo Zagreb. Thun held a two-goal lead deep into the second leg before defender Marco Bürki was sent off.

#thun #team

Jamal Musiala's return to fitness has been long and complicated.
First, Musiala endured a long spell on the sidelines after suffering a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle. Then, after earning valuable minutes at the World Cup, the 23-year-old suffered another unnerving setback, collapsing in Bayern's Telekom Cup clash against RB Leipzig, and again in his side's final preseason friendly against Heidenheim.
Despite overwhelming support for Musiala, rumours have started circulating linking Bayern to a replacement for Musiala after learning about his condition. However, according to Steffan **** berger of Sport1 (via iMiaSanMia), discussions about replacing the German international are a non-starter as the club plans to provide the time and support Musiala requires.
Signing a replacement for Jamal Musiala has never been up for discussion at the club. Bayern believe they're very well equipped in the position with Ismael Saibari, who was signed when Bayern were already aware of Musiala's problems, as well as Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl who can provide additional cover. In addition, the club does not want to give Musiala the feeling that they're giving up on him. The 23-year old will get all the support and time he needs, and Bayern are also relaxed because the team had already performed exceptionally well without Musiala last season. Therefore, there's no rush and no panic at the club – and Musiala can take his time and slowly regain a key role in the team.
Fans long for the day of seeing Bambi back to his brilliant best, prancing around bamboozled defenders. But some things are paramount to football.

#bayern #replacement

Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies said he was distressed by his team-mate and friend Jamal Musiala collapsing in two recent friendlies, but hopes the German champions can help rally their playmaker.
Germany's Musiala, 23, has been diagnosed with absence seizures, which are brief losses of consciousness, after slumping to the turf in friendlies against RB Leipzig on Saturday and Heidenheim on Tuesday.
Doctors say they will not prevent him playing at the top level, but whether he will feature in the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday remains to be seen.
"It was heartbreaking to see Jamal like that on the pitch. But anyone who knows Jamal knows he will come back stronger," Canada's Davies told reporters at the launch of Bayern's tie-up with the NHL on Thursday.
"Of course we want to support him, not only as a player but also as a person. The doctors are trying their best to get him through this situation. We want to give him a lot of positive energy and help him fight through it."

#musiala #friendlies #want

Bayern Munich ended its preseason slate of friendlies with a nice (but scary) 4-2 victory over Heidenheim.
While the play was choppy, but ultimately good enough, the story — again — revolved around the health of Jamal Musiala,who collapsed on the field for the second game in a row. While there will be plenty of focus on that for days to come, it was a strong ending to the preseason.
Aside of some early mistakes, Bayern Munich was the better, more dominant team. Let's dive into the details — here are some quick hitters on the match:
As always, let's begin with a look at the starting XI:
It was revealed right before the game that Joshua Kimmich was battling an adductor issue (there were rumors that he had picked up an injury during the World Cup…could this still be lingering?), while Tom Bischof and Manuel Neuer were held out due to load management. That all led to a very mixed bag of a lineup, especially in the central midfield. Kompany would sub pretty liberally, so it seemed as if almost everyone was on some kind of minutes restriction.

#game #kimmich

Okay…was that really necessary?
When Bayern Munich first announced an additional preseason friendly, the logic made sense. Bayern's heavy international complement had a busy summer and arrived late to season preparations after the Men's World Cup; head coach Vincent Kompany wanted more time for players who could not appear in the Asia tour.
However the way the scheduled ended up, Bayern handed itself some early match congestion before the season even began. Tuesday's match at FC Heidenheim comes just three days on the heel of the previous contest, an intense Telekom Cup bout against RB Leipzig. And it is now just four days to the next match, the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against Borussia Dortmund.
The Leipzig match already had all the makings of a preview of in-season intensity — without any of the stakes. The Supercup, likewise, is an official in season competition — but not one with the weight of the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, or Champions League. These two matches together were a good way to ease into the season. So why add a third in between them?
Against Heidenheim, Bayern's big stars played…well, some of them, and not a lot. Harry Kane and Michael Olise had just 30 minutes; the likes of Luis Díaz, Ismael Saibari, and Jamal Musiala already played at the weekend. Kane's spoken already on his uncertainty of being ready for a full 90' at the Supercup, so his cameo Tuesday appears to have done little other than reduce his recovery time.

#supercup #already #bayern #leipzig

For the second time in four days, Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala has collapsed during a game.
Musiala was able to walk off the field after his second collapse, which came in a friendly against Heidenheim on Tuesday, August 18.
The 23-year-old went down off the ball and Bayern medical personnel immediately rushed onto the pitch, with teammates crowding around in a worrying scene.
Musiala was eventually able to return to his feet and even managed to jog around momentarily before he was subbed out of the match.
The collapse came after a similar incident in a friendly against RB Leipzig on Saturday, August 16.

#musiala #august #able #collapse

Joshua Kimmich will not play for Bayern Munich in its friendly against Heidenheim after appearing to experience discomfort in his adductor area during training.
According to Bild (as captured by iMiaSanMia), Kimmich was at Säbener Straße and trained in a group alongside Lennart Karl, Konrad Laimer, João Palhinha, and Manuel Neuer. The Bayern ******* istant captain completed sprint exercises at "varying speeds", but reportedly grabbed his adductors during the session.
Later, Bayern Munich formally announced that Kimmich is out. In addition, Tom Bischof and Manuel Neuer are also not available due to their "heavy workload in preseason."
The timing will be worth monitoring. A minor muscular issue would be particularly frustrating for Kimmich as Bayern continue to build toward the start of the campaign, but the club has little reason to take unnecessary risks in a friendly.
Bayern will surely hope this is nothing more than a precaution and that Kimmich is back to full fitness soon.

#kimmich #friendly #heidenheim

For many Bayern Munich supporters, Arijon Ibrahimović remains one of the club's most intriguing young talents. After spending last season on loan at Heidenheim, the 20-year-old returns to Säbener Straße with valuable Bundesliga experience and a growing list of believers, including Heidenheim head coach Frank Schmidt.
Speaking about Ibrahimović's future, Schmidt offered a measured, but optimistic **** sment.
"I can only judge the time Ari spent with us and how satisfied we were with his performances. He is still a young player who took his first significant and consistent steps in the Bundesliga last season. Just think of the match in Munich with three games left in the campaign — if you saw what he produced on the pitch that day, you could already see the potential and believe that he is only at the beginning of his career," Schmidt told Sport1 (as captured by iMiaSanMia). "He still has the ability to make huge steps forward, but he also has a lot to learn. I'm convinced he can achieve that in the environment at Bayern Munich, but nothing will come automatically."
Schmidt clearly believes Ibrahimović has the talent to establish himself at Bayern Munich, but he also emphasizes that potential alone will not be enough. Development requires consistency, hard work, and taking advantage of every opportunity.
That is likely the reality Ibrahimović will face this season. Bayern Munich's squad is loaded with attacking talent, meaning every training session and every minute on the pitch will matter. Still, earning regular Bundesliga minutes at Heidenheim should leave him far better prepared for the challenge than he was a year ago.

#bayern #munich #every

Friendlies are meant to test the conditions of players and give chances to those who couldn't get a lot of playing time. Misfortune seems to have beset Bayern Munich because it lost three players to injury in the Telekom Cup against RB Leipzig just before the start of the new season.
Konrad Laimer was first off when he went into a challenge with David Raum just 10 minutes into the match. Min-jae Kim was next when he exited the match during the second hydration break at 66 minutes. Jamal Musiala appeared to have collapsed from heat exhaustion just four minutes after he scored Bayern's third goal. He almost needed a stretcher for that. To add insult to injury (literally), Sacha Boey cramped up after the final whistle.
The Franz Beckenbauer Supercup is next week, and Bayern still has a friendly match against Heidenheim a few days before that. The players who got injured are all first team players, which is not something the Bavarians need before the start of the 2026/27 season. This gives Vincent Kompany a big headache, but hopefully the injuries aren't serious.

#players #bayern #season

Borussia Dortmund held to a 2-2 draw at home against AS Roma on Saturday. All four goals were scored inside the first half-hour as Niko Kovac's side came from a two-goal deficit to avoid defeat in front of home fans at Signal Iduna Park (Westfalenstadion).
Paulo Dybala put the visitors ahead before **** isting Bryan Cristante's goal from a corner-kick delivery in the 9th minute. On his first appearance back from an injury he suffered at the World Cup, Julian Ryerson did the same in the next 20 minutes.
The Norwegian scored from close range after fellow World Cup participant Daniel Svensson's cutback in the 12th minute. Serhou Guirassy equalized for Dortmund from Ryerson's typical set-piece delivery.
The hosts had the best chances for the rest of the game, but they were unable to find a winning goal. Konstantinos Karetsas, Joane Gadou, Justin Lerma, Kauã Prates and Takato Yamamoto all made their home debuts as Dortmund introduced the new players to the fans before kickoff.
While FC Bayern will play against Heidenheim in midweek, Dortmund's next game will be against the Rekordmeister in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup.

#scored #first #minute #next

Friendlies are meant to test the conditions of players and give chances to those who couldn't get a lot of playing time. Misfortune seems to have beset Bayern Munich because it lost three players to injury in the Telekom Cup against RB Leipzig just before the start of the new season.
Konrad Laimer was first off when he went into a challenge with David Raum just 10 minutes into the match. Min-jae Kim was next when he exited the match during the second hydration break at 66 minutes. Jamal Musiala appeared to have collapsed from heat exhaustion just four minutes after he scored Bayern's third goal. He almost needed a stretcher for that. To add insult to injury (literally), Sacha Boey cramped up after the final whistle.
The Franz Beckenbauer Supercup is next week, and Bayern still has a friendly match against Heidenheim a few days before that. The players who got injured are all first team players, which is not something the Bavarians need before the start of the 2026/27 season. This gives Vincent Kompany a big headache, but hopefully the injuries aren't serious.

#next

SC Paderborn are reportedly closing in on the signing of former Bayern Munich attacking prospect Gabriel Vidovic from Dinamo Zagreb. According to Croatian outlet Sportske Novosti, Paderborn are prepared to pay approximately €3m for the 22-year-old. Sky Germany – as relayed by transfermarkt.de – has subsequently confirmed the Bundesliga newcomers' pursuit.
Vidovic only completed a permanent departure from Bayern last summer. The Augsburg-born Croatia youth international joined Dinamo for around €1.2m after previously spending three separate spells away from the German record champions on loan.
His future had initially appeared less certain. Get German Football News reported in June 2025 that Heidenheim were attempting to acquire Vidovic, with the Ostalb club willing to consider either a loan or permanent transfer.
Only three days later, however, GGFN reported that Heidenheim had missed out as Vidovic instead moved towards a permanent switch to Dinamo Zagreb.
The Croatian attacker has since registered seven goals and five **** ists for Dinamo. His current market value stands at approximately €3m after previously reaching €3.5m during an earlier loan spell with the Zagreb club.

#vidovic #dinamo #zagreb #croatian

Heidenheim started their 2. Bundesliga campaign with a 4-3 win over Osnabrück. Frank Schmidt's side led 3-2 at the end of the first-half after Osnabrück cancelled out their first two strikes.
New signing Marcel Costly ******* isted Budu Zivzivadze's opener in the tenth minute. The Georgian striker started the season with the form he had at the closing stage of their Bundesliga campaign as his second goal was nullified for an offside.
The 3. Liga champions then leveled the score from a set-piece opportunity in the midpoint of the first-half. Center-back Niklas Wiemann headed home after Konrad Faber's initial delivery from a corner-kick parried away by Heidenheim's defense.
It was the turn of Osnabrück to fail to clear their lines when Costly restored Heidenheim's lead five minutes later. Another five minutes later, Faber produced his second ******* ist of the game when David Kopacz caught everyone by surprise with a stunning strike from outside the box.
However, the newcomers were behind once again as Jonas Föhrenbach's corner-kick was converted by Jan Schöppner in the injury-time of the first-half. The next goal also came from another corner-kick, but it didn't arrive until the 89th minute.

#first #costly #started #campaign

As expected, Bayern Munich will have one final opportunity to fine-tune their preparations before the 2026/27 season officially begins per a release from FCBayern.com.
The club has confirmed that Vincent Kompany's side will travel to face Heidenheim on August 18th in their final preseason friendly, with kickoff scheduled for 12:00PM EDT (18:00 CEST). The match will be streamed live on FC Bayern TV Plus, giving supporters one last chance to see the squad in action before competitive football returns.
While preseason results are never the main priority, this fixture could provide valuable insight into Kompany's preferred starting XI, tactical setup, and which players have done enough to earn a place in the team heading into the new campaign. It is also likely to be the final opportunity for several youngsters and fringe players to make one last impression before the season gets underway.
There will not be much time to reflect after the final whistle. Just four days later, Bayern Munich will face Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, where the club will have its first chance to lift silverware this season.
With preparations entering their final stage, all eyes will now be on Heidenheim as Bayern Munich look to build momentum before the first trophy of the 2026/27 campaign is on the line.

#bayern #munich #club #face

FC Bayern will play a friendly against 1. FC Heidenheim four days before facing Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup. The plan was discussed for some time, but it was only announced by the clubs this Wednesday as it'll be played after Heidenheim's first two 2. Bundesliga fixtures.
Voith-Arena, where Bayern were on the receiving end of a 3-2 defeat in their first-ever visit before winning 4-0 in the last two seasons, will host the game. Frank Schmidt's side will entertain newly-promoted VfL Osnabrück in the same stadium on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Bayern traveled to Hong Kong for the second part of their Asian tour after their 2-1 victory over Jeju SK in South Korea on Tuesday. Vincent Kompany's men will play against Europa League winners Aston Villa on Friday. They will then host RB Leipzig at home before closing their preparations with the game against last season's 17th-placed Bundesliga side.

#last

Chelsea have been handed a significant boost as speedy winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been cleared to return to action after nearly two years out.
The Ukraine international was suspended for doping, but the ban has been lifted with immediate effect.
The Football ******* ociation's statement said that under current scientific testing standards, the sample collected from the 25-year-old would not have been reported as a positive violation.
Chelsea have released a statement also confirming the news, and the former Shakhtar Donetsk man will jet out to Hong Kong to join the team on tour.
Mudryk's last appearance for the Blues was against Heidenheim in the Europa Conference League in 2024.

#statement #hong #kong

New Hamburg attacking addition Patson Daka bid the Bundesliga a spirited ****** o on Friday. Following his arrival at HSV's Austrian training camp, new striker Patson Daka has spoken about his decision to join the Bundesliga club and his determination to escape the difficult period that stalled his career at Leicester City.
The 27-year-old joined HSV on a free transfer after Leicester's relegation to the English third tier. Daka, for whom the former Premier League club paid approximately €30m five years ago, initially signed a one-year contract containing an extension option. The Zambian international is expected to make his unofficial debut in Saturday's friendly against 1. FC Heidenheim.
Daka's fellow new Hamburg signing – Moroccan U23 international Bilal Nadir – also saw his arrival on a free transfer confirmed Friday. Like Daka, Nadir is also hoping to put a recent rough patch behind him. Last October, whilst playing for Olympique Marseille, Nadir made unpleasant headlines when he collapsed on the field during a Ligue 1 match against Angers.
In their second season back in the Bundesliga, Hamburg are rapidly becoming the club of "second chances"; an apt categorization in the year that Mario Vuskovic is once again eligible to play following his long suspension. Daka optimistically led the group of new arrivals at his introductory press event.
The striker began researching HSV shortly after the club established contact. Daka also consulted former Salzburg teammates Hee-Chan Hwang (whom many will recall from his RB Leipzig days) and Masaya Okugawa (who mostly featured for Arminia Bielefeld), both of whom previously played in Hamburg.

#daka #year #patson

Hennes Behrens is transferring from TSG Hoffenheim to fellow Bundesliga side FC Augsburg, both clubs have confirmed.
The talented left-back has put pen to paper on a contract with the Fuggerstädter club which is set to run until 2031.
The 21-year-old impressed greatly during the second half of last season while on loan at 1.FC Heidenheim who were ultimately relegated.
It's believed the transfer fee paid by the Bavarians will be in the region of €3.5million, with a further €1million in bonuses.
“We are delighted that Hennes will continue his journey at FC Augsburg.

According to a report from Sky Germany’s Kerry Hau, Bayern Munich will, indeed, keep young attacker Arijon Ibrahimović, as was initially reported by Transfermarkt (BFW story here).
The plan for the former Heidenheim loan star is to use him as a backup across all four attacking positions:
Arijon Ibrahimovic has extended his contract with FC Bayern until 2028! Complete agreement. Signature imminent, as first reported by Transfermarkt. The decisive factor in the decision was a conversation with Vincent Kompany, who has offered the 20-year-old a backup role for all attacking positions. Another loan is not currently planned! SkySportDE
Without anything official being released, it sure seems like Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany will be more open to rotating this season and could be more willing to rest the trio of Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Luis Díaz, who were absolutely sensational last season, but will likely need more breaks coming off of a heavy club workload and a World Cup.
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Arijon Ibrahimović is set to sign a new contract with Bayern Munich, according to reports from Transfermarkt. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder is expected to put pen to paper next week after deciding to continue his development at the German champions.
The report states that Ibrahimović's current deal, which runs until 2027 with an option for a further year, will be replaced by a new contract running until 2028.
The decision comes despite significant interest in the Germany Under-21 international following his productive loan spell at Heidenheim. Clubs including Werder Bremen, Hamburger SV, Freiburg, Augsburg, Villarreal, Brighton & Hove Albion and Hull City were all reportedly monitoring his situation.
According to Transfermarkt, the decisive factor was a series of positive and trusting conversations with Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany. The Belgian is said to have outlined a clear sporting perspective for Ibrahimović, convincing the youngster that his future lies in Munich.
Ibrahimović also strengthened his case during the closing weeks of last season. His standout display against Bayern in Heidenheim's dramatic 3-3 draw at the Allianz Arena, where he registered a goal contribution, reportedly reinforced the club's desire to keep him. He followed that performance with another two goal contributions against Köln a week later.