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An injury picked up by Kingsley Coman while representing France Under-21s is not as bad as first feared, Bayern Munich have confirmed.
The 19-year-old lasted just 23 minutes in the 2-1 victory over Scotland in a UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifier on Saturday.
However, on Tuesday, Bayern announced via their official Twitter feed that Coman "has only suffered light muscular damage in one of his thighs".
The on-loan Juventus forward has scored two goals in four Bundesliga outings this season and could be available to Pep Guardiola for Saturday's meeting with Werder Bremen.
Borussia Monchengladbach have been hit by a double injury blow, with Granit Xhaka and Nico Schulz set for spells on the sidelines.
Xhaka suffered ankle ligament damage during Switzerland's 1-0 Euro 2016 qualifying win over Estonia on Monday.
Monchengladbach could not confirm the length of absence the 23-year-old midfielder is set to face when announcing the news on their official website, but Schulz will be out for six months due to a knee ligament injury.
In Friday's friendly match against MSV Duisburg, Schulz sustained a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
The injuries to Xhaka and Schulz come after news that Germany international defender Patrick Herrmann is expect to be out until 2016 with a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Monchengladbach travel to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday before resuming their Champions League campaign at Juventus next Wednesday - a trip that comes on the back of Group D losses to Sevilla and Manchester City.
Effenberg fired up to begin coaching career with Paderborn
14 October 2015
Stefan Effenberg hopes to use Paderborn as a springboard into a successful coaching career after signing a two-year deal with the club.
The former Bayern Munich star was confirmed as the club's new boss on Tuesday after the departure of Markus Gellhaus, with Paderborn having won just two of their opening 10 games in 2. Bundesliga, having suffered relegation from the top flight last season.
Former Paderborn coaches including Andre Breitenreiter, Roger Schmidt and Andre Schubert have gone on to land roles with some of the Bundesliga's top sides and Effenberg is keen to follow in their footsteps.
"I've seriously considered work as a head coach for some time. Paderborn is a great post to enter into the profession, as the impressive careers of my predecessors show," he told the club's official website.
"SCP have a lot of quality in the squad, now we have to form a successful team quickly."
Paderborn president Wilfried Finke has little doubt Effenberg will bring the kind of self-belief which underpinned the 47-year-old's playing career.
"The chemistry fits. Stefan Effenberg is a top-class football expert and is primed for the task at hand at SCP. He'll breathe new self-confidence into our team and inspire the fans," said Finke.
Effenberg will begin with a home clash against Eintracht Braunschweig on Friday.
Price of Football survey shows price freeze or reductions
15 October 2015
The majority of fans in Britain have seen the cost of watching football stay the same or drop slightly, according to the 2015 Price of Football survey carried out by the BBC.
Produced annually, this year's report showed 70 per cent of the 700 tickets - both matchday and season tickets - analysed were frozen or cheaper in the current campaign.
Just over half of tickets remained the same for 2015-16 while 18.09 per cent were reduced, with 30 per cent more expensive.
Arsenal have the highest match-day ticket cost in the Premier League at £97 while Sunderland offer the cheapest season ticket in the top flight at £190.
The cheapest season ticket at the Emirates Stadium is £1,014 - the league's most expensive - with Barcelona and Bayern Munich continuing to be among the cheapest teams to watch in Europe.
A season-long pass at the Allianz Arena can cost as little as £104.48 while at Camp Nou the most affordable is just £73.88.
However, Barca can charge as much as £275.38 for a matchday ticket while a replica shirt is £89.55. French champions Paris Saint-Germain offer one of the most expensive season tickets in Europe at £2,113.46.
"Premier League clubs are working hard to keep grounds as full as possible, with the past two seasons showing they are doing a good job with record occupancy at 96 per cent," read a Premier League statement.
"This is borne out by the BBC's research that shows 70 per cent of tickets available are either the same price or cheaper than last season.
"However the BBC's focus on single match tickets is misleading as the vast majority - two thirds - of Premier League match-attending fans are season ticket holders.
"Our research shows that the average price paid by them is £32.50 for adults and £10 for juniors. Outside London the average drops to £29 and £9 respectively.
"This helps to explain why an increasingly diverse cross-section of the population are going to Barclays Premier League matches, with 40 per cent of match-attending fans aged 18-34 and a year-on-year increase in the number of junior season tickets sold.
"The raft of away supporter offers has seen travelling attendance go up by six per cent."
Schalke captain Benedikt Howedes has indicated he would be interested in a move to England following Jurgen Klopp's appointment at Liverpool.
Former Borussia Dortmund coach Klopp was brought in by Liverpool as a replacement for Brendan Rodgers last week.
Howedes has spent his entire professional career at Dortmund's arch-rivals Schalke.
However, Howedes' contract at the Veltins Arena expires at the end of the 2016-17 season and the Germany centre-back has previously been linked with Liverpool's Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal.
He told Bild: "This may sound crazy, but for me it does not depend on the money. For that, I am too much of a football romantic and I am too ambitious.
"Abroad still excites me – England sure is an interesting choice. But of course, the money is also important, as footballers we can only earn money for a limited time.
"English football is very fortunate to have someone like Klopp in the league… Liverpool is a club with great tradition and values.
"I am with Schalke 04 and currently have an objective here, but of course for any footballer there are clubs which are more interesting than others."
Mainz v Borussia Dortmund: Tuchel relaxed ahead of Coface return
14 October 2015
Thomas Tuchel is looking forward to his return to Mainz with Borussia Dortmund in Friday's Bundesliga fixture.
Tuchel coached Mainz for six years, leading them into Europe twice, including courtesy of a seventh-place Bundesliga finish in 2013-14.
But the 42-year-old asked to leave at the end of that campaign despite having a year of his contract to run.
He reached a settlement with Mainz that meant he was not allowed to take on another job without seeking his former club's permission.
A year away from coaching followed before he was appointed as Jurgen Klopp's successor at Dortmund.
This week, Mainz president Harald Strutz described the manner of Tuchel's departure as "borderline" and claimed that both men "have different conceptions of respect".
But Tuchel refused to be drawn into any potential row and told Bild: "It's certainly not a bad feeling for me to return.
"On Thursday evening I shall meet some friends and go to see some familiar faces."
Of greater concern to Tuchel is the task of picking up his players from a chastening first loss of the season - a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of rivals Bayern Munich before the international break.
That damaging reverse came on the back of three draws at home and abroad, with Dortmund needing to rediscover the form that reeled off 11 consecutive wins in all competitions at the start of Tuchel's reign.
They sit seven points shy of Bayern at the top of the table and were also unable to find a win during the international break as a weekend friendly with third-tier outfit Magdeburg finished 2-2.
"For those of us players who didn't go away on international duty, it was a good opportunity to keep our rhythm going," said midfielder Sven Bender.
"Two weeks without a match would've hardly been ideal. The goals we conceded were unnecessary. You want to win every game."
A 3-2 win having twice being pegged back at Darmstadt last time out left Mainz eighth in the table and they will close up to two points behind Dortmund if they are victorious at the Coface Arena.
The hosts won the corresponding fixture 2-0 in September last season thanks to a second-half strike from now departed striker Shinji Okazaki and a Matthias Ginter own goal.
But that was Dortmund's only loss against their forthcoming opponents in the previous 10 meetings between the clubs.
Bundesliga Review: Record-breakers Bayern see off Werder, Schalke leave it late
17 October 2015 19:03
Bayern Munich became the first team to win their opening nine games of a Bundesliga season as Thomas Muller ensured their remarkable start to 2015-16 continued with a 1-0 win at Werder Bremen.
Reigning champions Bayern travelled to the Weserstadion looking to making it nine wins from nine to start their campaign, a feat never achieved in the Bundesliga's 52-year history.
And Muller - who had scored three times in Bayern's previous four encounters with Bremen - settled the match with his ninth goal of the season in the 23rd minute.
The Germany international converted at the second time of asking after receiving Thiago Alcantara's through-ball, with the goal marking Bayern's 100th goal of the calendar year and leaving them seven points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Schalke needed an injury-time goal from Max Meyer to see off 10-man Hertha Berlin 2-1 at the Veltins Arena.
The visitors were hindered early when Vedad Ibisevic was shown a straight red card in the 18th minute, and captain Benedikt Howedes headed home the opener from a Schalke corner nine minutes later.
Hertha fought back through Salomon Kalou's leveller in second half and it appeared as though Schalke would have to settle for a point until Meyer's later intervention.
Max Kruse scored a hat-trick as Wolfsburg recovered from surrendering a two-goal lead to defeat Hoffenheim 4-2.
In other matches, Darmstadt were 2-0 victors at Augsburg, while Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen played out a 0-0 draw.
Bundesliga Review: Cologne fume at Andreasen winner, Stuttgart edge Ingolstadt
18 October 2015 20:07
Hannover and Stuttgart moved out of the Bundesliga's bottom three courtesy of slender victories on Sunday with Leon Andreasen's goal against Cologne the talking point of the day.
The pair occupied the automatic relegation zones going into the final games of the weekend but Hannover secured back-to-back wins courtesy of Andreasen's hugely controversial goal in the 1-0 success.
Seven minutes before the break, Christian Schulz nodded Hiroshi Kiyotake's corner into the path of the waiting Andreasen via a slight touch off goalkeeper Timo Horn.
The Hannover man appeared to use his arm in helping the ball across the line - much to the frustration of the hosts who protested vehemently to referee Bastian Dankert without success.
Home coach Peter Stoger offered Dankert his glasses at half-time, before the Cologne boss watched on as Hannover moved 14th.
Stuttgart joined Hannover in moving out of the relegation spots as Daniel Didavi's second-half winner eased pressure on under-fire manager Alexander Zorniger in their 1-0 victory over Ingolstadt.
Amid late Ingolstadt pressure, Serey Die's late dismissal made life difficult for the hosts but Zorniger's men held firm to register a first home league win of the season.
Hannover´s Andreasen admits he handled controversial winner
18 October 2015 22:08
Leon Andreasen has admitted his winning goal in Hannover's 1-0 Bundesliga victory at Cologne on Sunday should have been disallowed.
The Denmark international clearly used his hand to guide the ball past goalkeeper Timo Horn in the 38th minute of the match at RheinEnergieStadion, although the incident somehow escaped the attention of referee Bastian Dankert and his assistants.
Speaking after the game, Andreasen acknowledged his surprise at the decisive goal not being ruled out.
"I made a motion in the direction of the ball, it all happened very quickly," he said.
"You [could have blown the] whistle of course. That was clearly handball."
The hosts were left enraged after the narrow loss, Cologne sports director Jorg Schmadtke taking aim at Dankert, while making a pointed reference to the country's football authorities.
"It's irritating that we had a 'handball' referee," he said.
"If 48,700 people saw it, the four match officials needed too as well.
"Give our regards to the German Football Association."
Cologne midfielder Marcel Risse made no attempt to disguise his opinion.
"In my view, you could clearly see it was handball," he said.
And those sentiments were echoed by Horn.
"I was expecting a clear whistle," he said.
"An illegal goal has cost us the points."
Hannover captain Christian Schulz, meanwhile, was at least gracious enough to acknowledge his team's good fortune.
"There are no ifs or buts, that was a lucky win for us," he said.
"The bottom line is FC [Cologne] were superior."
The result left Hannover 14th on the table, two points outside the automatic relegation place. Cologne are six points better off in sixth spot.
Bayern Munich director Matthias Sammer was relieved after Robert Lewandowski escaped unharmed from a clumsy tackle against Werder Bremen on Saturday.
Lewandowski was left crumpled on the Weserstadion turf 20 minutes from time after tangling wither Werder goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald, who caught the Poland striker in the knee with his studs, a challenge not deemed worthy of a foul by referee Christian Dingert.
Bayern's top scorer was able to complete the game as the champions edged to a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Thomas Muller goal, taking Pep Guardiola's side to a new Bundesliga record of nine consecutive wins to begin a season.
But Sammer was in a less than jolly mood after the game.
He said: "It was a penalty. We have had tremendous luck that Robert Lewandowski is not injured.
"I'm now curious to see if there will be the same crying as there would have been if it was the other way around. It will interest me in the next few days."
Lewandowski, though, agreeing that a foul should have been called, was more stoic.
He added: "It's not easy for strikers in that situation. I think it was a clear penalty, but fortunately we still took three points. From tomorrow on we focus on the Champions League."
Ilkay Gundogan wants to stay at Borussia Dortmund beyond the end of this season.
Germany midfielder Gundogan has been consistently linked with a move away from Signal Iduna Park in recent years, with rumours of a reunion with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool emerging since the ex-Dortmund boss' appointment at Anfield.
However, the 24-year-old has denied such suggestions and is happy to remain a Dortmund player for the time being.
"This is an issue that is always floating around," Gundogan said at a sponsor's event in Dortmund.
"I am very happy with BVB and feel very comfortable here. Of course, I can imagine remaining here beyond the end of the season."
Dortmund travel to Azerbaijan to face Qabala in the Europa League on Thursday.
After a draw with PAOK on matchday two, Gundogan is eager to take all three points and hold onto pole position in Group C - with the ultimate aim to reach the final.
"We need to win the game and retain top spot," he added.
"It is realistic to reach the final - we have great potential.
"With the squad we have, we are a team that belongs in the Champions League."
Thomas Tuchel has warned Borussia Dortmund they must not take the threat of Qabala lightly ahead of their Europa League clash in Azerbaijan.
Dortmund visit Baku on Thursday sitting top of Group C having taken four points from their opening two matches against Krasnodar and PAOK.
Qabala, by contrast, are bottom with just one point to their name – but Dortmund coach Tuchel believes Roman Grigorchuk's side have enough quality to punish any complacency from his players.
"We expect a diligent and well-organised team, which will try to make the most of its role as an outsider," Tuchel said.
"We have respect for the opponent and the game. In football, anything can happen... we know that Qabala are very hard to beat."
Dortmund will be without Henrikh Mkhitaryan at the Bakcell Arena, as the Armenia playmaker has not travelled due to political tensions between his homeland and Azerbaijan.
Tuchel added: "I think it's a sporting and human pity that Miki is not present."
The former Mainz boss also revealed that full-back Marcel Schmelzer is fit and ready to start the game after recovering from a thigh problem.
Injured Schalke midfielder Marco Hoger has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the Veltins Arena until 2017.
The 26-year-old has endured a difficult time with injuries since moving to the club in 2011 and suffered cruciate ligament damage in the win over Hamburg last month that looks set to rule him out for a lengthy period.
Hoger, who has made 117 appearances for Schalke in all competitions, has extended his contract by a year, with sporting director Horst Heldt explaining the move was always in the pipeline.
"Shortly after Marco got injured, we decided to get him signed on for longer," he told Schalke's official website.
"In the last few years, Hoger has given everything for Schalke, so we wanted to give something back. We will now give him the time he needs to recover. After that he can work his way back into the team."
Hoger added: "I will now work hard so I can get back into the team as quickly as possible."
Schalke are third in the Bundesliga, having lost just twice in the league this season.
Bayern Munich v Cologne: Robben return set to boost champions
22 October 2015 13:46
Bayern Munich find themselves in the unfamiliar position of seeking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat, but the potential return of Arjen Robben will boost their spirits against Cologne on Saturday.
A 12-match winning run in all competitions came to a grinding halt on Tuesday as Bayern slipped to a 2-0 loss at Arsenal in the Champions League, a costly error from the usually brilliant Manuel Neuer allowing Olivier Giroud to open the scoring before Mesut Ozil completed Arsenal's win.
Bayern - who have won the league title three years in succession - now return to domestic action, in which they have been typically dominant this season. A 1-0 victory over Werder Bremen last weekend saw them set a new Bundesliga record of nine wins from their opening nine matches.
Head coach Pep Guardiola may also have the added option of selecting star winger Robben, who has not played a competitive fixture since September 3 when he injured his groin on international duty with Netherlands.
However, the former Real Madrid star is hoping to be involved at the Allianz Arena.
"I feel very good. I trained with the amateur team," Robben, who was on target in a 4-1 win the last time the teams met in February, told Kicker.
"It looks good for Saturday. If things continue like that, I will return on Saturday."
Cologne are sixth in the Bundesliga, having taken a respectable 14 points from nine matches.
Peter Stoger's men head to Munich on the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to struggling Hannover, which came in controversial circumstances.
Hannover started the game in the relegation zone but Leon Andreasen's 38th-minute goal earned them the points, only for replays to show he had used his hand to score.
Striker Philipp Hosiner admits the squad are still hurting from the contentious defeat, but feels Arsenal's victory over Bayern has given the team hope of rebounding by pulling off an unlikely upset.
"All in all it was a very unfortunate defeat [against Hannover], so I suppose you think about it some more than other defeats we have suffered," he told Cologne's official website.
On the Bayern game, he added: "Arsenal showed yesterday [Tuesday] how it can be done, but there is no recipe that works with 100 per cent effectiveness against Bayern.
"We want to get something out of this match and I do think it is possible. If we have a good day and Bayern are a bit out of their rhythm following their recent loss, something could be possible."
Borussia Dortmund v Augsburg: Tuchel´s men out to keep pressure on Bayern
23 October 2015 20:25
Having taken a major step towards the Europa League knockout stages in midweek, Borussia Dortmund will look to maintain the pressure on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich by beating bottom-placed Augsburg on Sunday.
Thomas Tuchel's men overcame a daunting trip to Azerbaijan to down Qabala 3-1, making it 13 wins from 17 games in all competitions this season.
Gabon international striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang again stole the headlines for the visitors, bagging a hat-trick to take his tally for the season to a remarkable 17 and reigniting speculation that he will be the subject of a bidding war when the transfer window reopens in January.
Dortmund have lost only once this term but still trail Bayern by seven points thanks to the Bavarian side's record-breaking 100 per cent start to the campaign.
And that gap could be extended to 10 by the time these two sides kick off on Sunday, with Bayern hosting Cologne 24 hours earlier.
Augsburg, in contrast, have managed just a solitary league win thus far, although like Dortmund, they did enjoy midweek success in Europe.
Having lost their opening two Europa League group games, they secured their first ever European victory away at Dutch side AZ, with Piotr Trochowski scoring the only goal.
Coach Markus Weinzierl will be desperately hoping that the result in the Netherlands can prompt an upturn in his side's Bundesliga fortunes and they can at least draw some confidence from the fact that they won 1-0 at Signal Iduna Park on their most recent visit in February.
Augsburg still have a lengthy injury list to contend with, however, with forward Shawn Parker and defenders Hong Jeong-ho and Dominik Reinhardt among those unavailable once again this weekend.
For the hosts, meanwhile, both Erik Durm and Nuri Sahin have returned to training, although neither is expected to be fit enough to feature on Sunday.
The latter has yet to make a competitive appearance for Dortmund this season, but that has not stopped him being linked with a surprise return to Liverpool, where he endured a forgettable loan spell in 2012.
Home coach Tuchel will be wary of the toll that the 6000-kilometre midweek round-trip to Azerbaijan may have taken on his players, although he will be reluctant to rest any of his big names given the need to maintain the pressure on leaders Bayern.
Dortmund will inevitably be installed as red-hot favourites, having dropped only two points at home this season, against Darmstadt, while Augsburg have picked up just two points on the road, at Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen.
Bundesliga Review: Leverkusen late show stuns Stuttgart, Bremen end winless run
24 October 2015 20:47
Bayer Leverkusen came from two goals down to defeat Stuttgart 4-3 with a trio of strikes inside the final 20 minutes at the BayArena.
Roger Schmidt's side fought back from 4-2 behind with 10 minutes remaining to rescue a draw against Roma in the Champions League in midweek, and they displayed their powers of recovery once again on Saturday.
After a goalless first half an electrifying second period followed, with Stuttgart's Martin Harnik slamming home from Timo Baumgartl's blocked shot in the 50th minute before Daniel Didavi added a second with a fine turn and finish four minutes later.
The lead was halved by Karim Bellarabi with 57 minutes on the clock - 41 seconds after entering the game as a substitute - before Lukas Rupp rounded off an exciting 10 minutes by restoring the two-goal advantage for Alexander Zorniger's men.
Roger Schmidt's side got a second in the 69th minute when Sebastian Boenisch converted from a Bellarabi cross and they restored parity two minutes later as Javier Hernandez tapped home at the back post from Admir Mehmedi's deflected cross.
The Swiss then completed the turnaround with one minute of normal time remaining, cutting onto his right foot and firing into the roof of the net following a swift break.
Werder Bremen ended a run of five consecutive Bundesliga defeats by beating Mainz 3-1 at the Coface Arena.
Anthony Ujah scored twice in five minutes close to the interval before Fin Bartels added a third in first-half stoppage time, Yoshinori Muto's late effort nothing but a consolation for Mainz.
Ingolstadt fell to a third home defeat in five as a Mitchell Weiser goal in the 10th minute proved enough for Hertha Berlin to depart the Audi-Sportpark with all three points and rise to fifth.
Arjen Robben, Arturo Vidal, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller were all on target as Bayern Munich won their 1,000th Bundesliga match with a 4-0 victory at home to Cologne, retaining their 100 per cent record 10 games into the season.
Eintracht Frankfurt came from behind to end a steak of five top-flight matches without a win as Marc Stendera's second-half double secured a 2-1 win at Hannover - their first since 1987.
Wolfsburg remain in fourth position as Daniel Caligiuri's deflected 78th-minute strike sealed a 1-0 success away at Darmstadt.
Ancelotti denies Bayern Munich interest: I cannot stand their dominance
By Tom Webber
Oct 25, 2015 23:26:48
The former AC Milan and Real Madrid boss feels a lack of stimulation watching the German champions due to the total absence of competition for the Bundesliga crown
Carlo Ancelotti has appeared to rule himself out of contention for the Bayern Munich job, saying the lack of competition they face for the Bundesliga title makes it difficult for him to enjoy watching them.
The Italian has been without a club since departing Real Madrid at the end of the 2014-15 season, and has been linked to the Bayern post with no renewal for incumbent coach Pep Guardiola - whose contract is due to expire next June - in sight.
Nevertheless, the German champions won their 1000th Bundesliga game on Saturday, defeating Cologne 4-0 to keep both their challenge for a record fourth Bundesliga crown and a 100 per cent record from 10 league games this season intact.
But Ancelotti suggested it is precisely the Bavarians' absolute superiority at domestic level that could deter him from taking up the coaching role at Allianz Arena.
"Bayern will win the Bundesliga without even taking their hands out their pockets," Ancelotti told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I must confess that I cannot enjoy Bayern's games.
"There is simply too little real competition."
Ancelotti previously confirmed he will be looking to return to coaching soon, but admitted he would prefer it to be a club level rather than with a national team.
"I just like to be on the pitch every day and have close contact with the players," he added.
Hoffenheim turn to rookie coach Nagelsmann from next season
27 October 2015
Hoffenheim have announced that 28-year-old coach Julian Nagelsmann will take charge of the Bundelsliga outfit from the start of the 2016-17 season.
On Monday, Hoffenheim appointed seasoned tactician Huub Stevens until the end of the current campaign after a dismal run of one win from the opening 10 Bundesliga fixtures led to Markus Gisdol being removed from his post.
For the longer term, the club have opted to go in a wholly different direction by promoting Under-19 coach Nagelsmann, who will complete his coaching badges before taking over from Stevens next July on a deal that runs until June 2019.
"Despite the current difficult situation, it is important now to set an example for the future," said Hoffenheim CEO Dr Peter Gorlich. "The commitment to Julian Nagelsmann to take over the post of the head coach next year shows that we are planning in the long-term and remain true to our philosophy - to rely on our own offspring."
Nagelsmann has led Hoffenheim to the final of the German A-Youth Championship in each of the past two years, lifting the crown in 2014.
He was also assistant first-team coach at Hoffenheim for the second half of the 2012-13 season.
"I am looking forward to this exciting task and I thank you in advance for the trust placed in me and the opportunity," Nagelsmann said.
"In the coming months, my focus will be on the one hand lying on my training as a football coach and, of course, with my boys from the U19s, with whom we are planning a lot more this season."
Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel worked with a young Nagelsmann during his time in charge of Augsburg II and offered a glowing endorsement of his credentials.
Tuchel told a news conference: "He's a very inquisitive and very hardworking young coach. He has celebrated exceptional successes in youth [football]. I'm very happy for him and I believe in him."
Hoffenheim, second-bottom of the Bundesliga with just six points, travel to Cologne on Saturday for Stevens' first game at the helm.
Schalke midfielder Johannes Geis has been handed a five-game suspension by the German Football Association [DFB] following his red card against Borussia Monchengladbach on Sunday.
The 22-year-old was dismissed with 10 minutes to play in Schalke's 3-1 defeat in the Bundesliga for a dangerous tackle on Andre Hahn.
Geis raised his studs in a challenge for the ball but instead connected with Hahn's leg, forcing the Germany international off nine minutes after his introduction as a substitute.
Hahn received an apology from Geis after the match but that has not appeased the authorities, who handed the latter a lengthy ban and fine. The decision was accepted by the club and player.
A statement from the DFB condemned Geis' "crude" challenge, and handed him a €15,000 fine as well as the five-game suspension.
Bayer Leverkusen star Hakan Calhanoglu could be sold should a significant transfer bid be made, the club's CEO has admitted.
The 21-year-old has emerged as one of the Bundesliga's most highly-rated attacking players over the last 18 months and has already registered five goals and four assists so far this season.
Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller confirmed that clubs made enquiries for Calhanoglu during the latest transfer window, while recent reports in Germany have claimed that Manchester United are ready to rival Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for the Turkey international, having scouted him this season.
While insisting Leverkusen are keen to keep him, CEO Michael Schade has admitted that any serious bids would have to be considered.
"We want to keep Hakan but, for us, there is an absolute upper limit," he said to Sport Bild.
Calhanoglu, who made headlines in February 2014 with an incredible 50-yard free-kick goal against Borussia Dortmund, is under contract at the BayArena until 2019.
