Bayern Munich will travel to Bayer Leverkusen in the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal, with last season s finalists Eintracht Frankfurt visiting Schalke.
A 2-1 win over Schalke on Saturday means a sixth consecutive Bundesliga title looks to be something of a formality for Bayern, who thumped Paderborn 6-0 in midweek to secure the showdown with Leverkusen.
Julian Brandt s double brought Leverkusen back from 2-0 down at home to Werder Bremen, who they then beat 4-2 in extra time thanks to goals from Karim Bellarabi and Kai Havertz.
Eintracht lost 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the final last season and eased past Mainz 3-0 in the quarter-finals, while Schalke were able to punctuate back-to-back Bundesliga losses by beating Wolfsburg 1-0.
And there you have it!
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Kevin De Bruyne has been hailed as a future winner of the Ballon d Or by Pep Guardiola, but Zbigniew Boniek believes Piotr Zielinski is better than the Belgium playmaker.
Zielinski has scored four Serie A goals this season to help Napoli sit top of the table, a point clear of champions Juventus, as they seek a first Scudetto since 1989-90.
Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri has compared Zielinski to De Bruyne, whose goals and assists have sent Manchester City 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Zielinski is regarded as one of the brightest talents in European football and Boniek, head of the Polish Football Association, already rates the 23-year-old above De Bruyne.
He will be the next De Bruyne? I think Zielinski already has more quality than De …
Manchester United are in pole position to reclaim their Premier League crown but a second successive loss would send jitters through the camp.
United head to Stoke on Sunday, having had their lead on top of the table reduced after falling to a 2-1 defeat against Manchester rivals and defending champions City on Monday.
Sir Alex Ferguson s men are 12 points clear at the summit with seven games to go, and remain in the box seat to capture a record 20th title.
But having already bowed out of the Champions League and FA Cup in the past month, United midfielder Antonio Valencia says the club is determined to secure the title as soon as possible.
We re a little worried. It has already happened to us, Valencia told Ecuadorian radio station Sonorama.
La…
Steve Bruce celebrates his 100th game as Hull City boss in the club s first European match and wants an extended UEFA Europa League run.
Bruce has enjoyed a fairytale tenure at the KC Stadium since taking charge in June 2012, guiding Hull into the Premier League and then keeping the club in the top flight last season as well as securing an unlikely FA Cup final appearance.
That Wembley outing back in May means Hull will make their continental debut against either Vojvodina of Serbia or Trencin of Slovakia – the latter are 4-0 up after the first leg of their second-round tie in the Europa League third qualifying round later this month.
And it is a fixture that will hold extra significance for Bruce.
It s the perfect way to reach my century of matches …
Frank Lampard has no doubt Timo Werner will come through his difficult spell of form for Chelsea.
Chelsea are under pressure ahead of Monday s home fixture with West Ham having lost two straight Premier League games, going down to both Everton and Wolves on the road.
A third consecutive top-flight defeat would represent their worst run for over five years.
Germany international Werner, a high-profile signing from RB Leipzig, has not scored for eight matches across all competitions.
He particularly struggled to make an impact in the games against Everton and Wolves, but Lampard insists his deployment on the left of a front three is not the reason for his woes.
Asked why Werner was playing on the left, Chelsea boss Lampard said: For di…
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel backed Neymar to score his next penalty, saying the forward was sad about his miss against Saint-Etienne.
Neymar hit the post with a second-half penalty in PSG s 4-0 victory in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
It came just days after the Brazilian handed spot-kick duties to Edinson Cavani during a Champions League thrashing of Galatasaray.
But Tuchel still believes in Neymar, who provided two assists in the comfortable league win, from the spot.
I m always a little nervous as a coach, that s normal, he told a news conference.
When he shoots, normally, I m pretty sure he scores. He s sad because he still wants to score, it was a great opportunity for him.
But he s going to kick the next penalty, and I m sur…
Marcel Koller’s side still have a chance of progressing through to the knockouts and Austria manager has already backed his players to find their form when it matters the most in order to dispatch Iceland and keep their place in the competition.
Euro debutants Iceland will go through with a win, which would be their first-ever at the tournament and against Austria as well. The teams played 1-1 in an Innsbruck friendly in May 2014, but this time a place in the round of 16 is at stake and developments in Group F will be under great scrutiny tonight.
Ladbrokes are ready to back David Alaba to score and Austria to win against Iceland with an enhanced offer of 5/1 instead of 4/1. Simply and place your bets for a possibility to earn big with this match.
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Dani Alves has told former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi to ignore his critics after his Copa America final penalty miss.
The five-time Ballon d Or winner failed from the spot in Argentina s shootout defeat to Chile and announced his international retirement after Sunday s game.
Messi lost all four of his major finals with his national team and this was a third in three years, coming after the 2014 World Cup defeat to Germany and another setback against Chile in the 2015 Copa.
However, Alves, who has this week joined Juventus from Barca, had comforting words for his great friend.
I did not see the end because it was late and I had commitments, he said. No one can take away Leo s greatness.
It s a pleasure to be his friend. He must be with p…
Andy Carroll has been told he will need to lower his wage demands if he is to sign for West Ham United, the Mirror understands.
The 24 year olds representatives last week requested £100,000 a week, a figure which would represents a £20,000 pay rise for the player.
However, despite their eagerness to complete a permanent deal the Hammers are standing firm, insisting that such an amount is out of the question.
The England international is understood to have hoped for a move back to home town club Newcastle United, where he spent five seasons before moving to Anfield for £35million in January 2011, though no offer has been forthcoming.
Carroll made just two appearances for Liverpool last season, before being sent out on loan to West Ham, where he sco…
Newcastle director of football Joe Kinnear has insisted that Yohan Cabaye will stay at the club despite reported interest from Monaco.
The midfielder has been linked with a move to the big-spending Ligue 1 outfit, with Newcastle moving to deny that the France international had completed a medical at the Stade Louis II.
Kinnear, who confirmed he had agreed to return to St James Park on Sunday, was quick to reaffirm the Premier League club s stance, and stated his confidence that the former Lille man would not be going anywhere during the transfer window.
He (Cabaye) will stay, Kinnear told the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.
We don t feel we have to sell our top stars. The only players we will move on are the ones that are coming up short. You can t have that at a massive f…