Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl is confident Nuri Sahin can turn things around at the club after being dumped out of the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday. 

Dortmund were beaten 1-0 by Wolfsburg in their second-round clash, with Jonas Wind's extra-time winner deciding the contest at the Volkswagen Arena. 

It marked a miserable week for BVB, who are now without a win in four games in all competitions, piling more pressure on Sahin. 

Dortmund lost 5-2 to Real Madrid in the Champions League last week, despite leading by two goals, before losing to Augsburg upon their Bundesliga return. 

Sahin has won seven of his first 13 matches in charge in all competitions (D1 L5). While Kehl acknowledged the results had not been good enough, he remained confident in the Dortmund boss. 

"It is clear that we are not satisfied with the overall situation of our results," Kehl said.

"But we have to stick together and work hard on things. We are lagging behind in our goals. But we will go through it together.

"This is a situation that Dortmund has handled successfully in the past.

"The atmosphere in the changing room was one of frustration, very quiet," Kehl added on Dortmund's cup exit.

"At the end of the day, we have now been eliminated and that is very bitter."

Sahin has, however, had to try and navigate some difficult fixtures without a plethora of his first-team players. 

Dortmund are without Niklas Sule, Julian Ryerson, Waldemar Anton, Karim Adeyemi and Gio Reyna due to injury. 

Sahin's side have managed just 13 points after eight games in the Bundesliga, their worst start in 10 years, having picked up just seven points at this stage in 2014-15.

They have also conceded 14 goals in the Bundesliga, only letting in more during the 2007-08 season (16). 

Despite an away trip to second-placed RB Leipzig up next for Dortmund, Kehl is confident they can earn a first league away win this term. 

"The squad is relatively small due to the unfortunate injury situation. Still, we will try to win the match on Saturday," Kehl said.

But it looks like a difficult task for Dortmund as they head into the encounter having lost six of their last seven competitive games against Leipzig. 

They had previously gone on an eight-match unbeaten run against Leipzig in all competitions (W6 D2).

Jonas Wind's extra-time winner saw Wolfsburg dump Borussia Dortmund out of the DFB-Pokal in the second round, piling more pressure on Nuri Sahin. 

With the game goalless after 90 minutes, the encounter at the Volkswagen Arena looked destined for penalties until Wind tapped home from close range in the 117th minute. 

Dortmund started strongly and almost took the lead early on when Maximilian Beier was sent through on goal, but struck the post with only Kamil Grabara to beat. 

Further chances fell to Serhou Guirassy and Beier, but the visitors were unable to take advantage of their dominant first 45 minutes. 

Wolfsburg grew into the contest after the break, and came closest in the second minute of extra-time when Tiago Thomas hit the woodwork before Wind had a header cleared off the line by Ramy Bensebaini. 

But Denmark international Wind would have the final say, netting the winner to leave Dortmund winless in their last three games in all competitions. 

It was, however, a more comfortable evening for holders Bayer Leverkusen, who swept aside second-tier Elversberg 3-0 on Tuesday. 

Patrik Schick scored a brace in the first nine minutes to put Xabi Alonso's side in control, with Aleix Garcia adding Leverkusen's third with a stunning free-kick before the break. 

Elversberg beat Leverkusen in the first round of the 2022-23 DFB-Pokal, making them the last team to beat the current holders in the competition.

RB Leipzig, the winners of back-to-back DFB-Pokal's before Leverkusen's triumph last year, also went into the hat for the next round after a 4-2 win over St. Pauli. 

Yussuf Poulsen and Christoph Baumgartner handed Marco Rose's side an early advantage before Morgan Guilavogui halved the deficit at the Red Bull Arena. 

Poulsen notched his second on the half-hour mark, only for Eric Smith to score the visitors' second after the interval. 

But Leipzig's progression was sealed by Antonio Nusa, who rounded off a fine solo run with his third goal for the club in all competitions.

Vincent Kompany insisted Bayern Munich's DFB-Pokal second round tie against Mainz is "just as important as a final", with the aim of improving their cup record. 

Bayern have struggled in previous editions of the tournament, losing to Holstein Kiel, Borussia Monchengladbach and Saarbrucken in the second round in three of the last four editions.

The 20-time champions of the competition reached the quarter-finals against Freiburg in 2022-23 - their best run since winning the title against Bayer Leverkusen in 2020.

Wednesday's fixture offers the chance for Bayern to improve their DFB-Pokal record, though Kompany was not underestimating Mainz's threat. 

"We cannot change the past," Kompany told a press conference. "Now it is about what we can deliver tomorrow.

"That is where our entire focus is on. I have a lot of faith in the team."

"In my mentality there is no ranking (of competitions)," Kompany added. "It is always only about the next game.

"For us it is as important as a final because it is the next game and we want to win it and we will do everything to be successful.

"Mainz are strong in one-on-one (situations) and try to put pressure on with their compact game," Kompany added.

"It is a Cup game and no easy task. It is important that we keep at it."

Kompany led his side back to winning ways in the Bundesliga at the weekend with a 5-0 thrashing of Bochum after losing to Barcelona in the Champions League. 

Barca's 4-1 triumph ended a run of six games without a win against Bayern in the competition, leaving Kompany's men with three points from their first three games.

But victory over Bochum ensured they remained ahead of RB Leipzig on goal difference at the Bundesliga summit. 

Kompany has seen his team net 12 goals in their last three matches, and was happy with the players' response to their midweek humbling against Barca.

"We remained calm and worked on the details to get better," Kompany said of his team's efforts last week.

"That is the way it is now as well. Our goal is to take that next step."

Borussia Dortmund will likely be without full-back Julian Ryerson for their DFB-Pokal trip to Wolfsburg, but Nuri Sahin could welcome back Marcel Sabitzer and Waldemar Anton.

All three players were injured during Saturday's 2-1 loss at Augsburg in the Bundesliga, as Dortmund succumbed to a second defeat in four days after squandering a 2-0 lead to lose 5-2 at Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Speaking at Monday's pre-match press conference, coach Sahin told reporters: "I don't have high hopes for Julian Ryerson.

"With Sabi and Waldi, every hour counts. It will only become clear towards kick-off whether they can play."

Sahin is keen to see Dortmund tighten up at the back after losing three of their last five league matches, slipping seven points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

"The goals we're conceding for the effort we're putting in are extreme. That can't happen to us. We're conceding goals too easily by making mistakes," said the former midfielder.

"At the moment, we have so many issues of our own that it doesn't feel so easy."

Dortmund have lost four consecutive matches on their travels in all competitions since their last DFB-Pokal outing, a 4-1 victory at Phonix Lubeck.

They have gone unbeaten through their last three games against Wolfsburg, however, outscoring them 8-1 since suffering a 2-0 defeat at Volkswagen Arena in November 2022.

Jonas Hofmann's header sent holders Bayer Leverkusen through in the DFB-Pokal.

Leverkusen kick-started their Bundesliga campaign with a last-gasp win over Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday, and though matters were more comfortable against lower-league Jena on Wednesday, Xabi Alonso's team had to settle for a 1-0 win.

Hofmann got the decisive goal in the 52nd minute, heading home from Alex Grimaldo's delivery.

Leverkusen finished with 16 shots and an expected goals (xG) of 1.31, though Jena did muster 1.04 xG from just six attempts, with Hamza Muqaj squandering their best chance of the game.

Data Debrief: Heads up

Hofmann has had a fantastic career, plying his trade for Leverkusen, Gladbach and Borussia Dortmund.

Yet incredibly, his goal on Wednesday was the first ever to come from his head. It was his only attempt of the night, with the attacking midfielder managing just three touches in Jena's area.

Pascal Gross believes he has room for improvement despite starting his Borussia Dortmund career with two assists in Saturday's routine DFB-Pokal win over Phonix Lubeck.

Gross teed up first-half goals for fellow new signing Waldemar Anton and Julian Brandt as Dortmund advanced to the competition's second round with a 4-1 win over their fourth-tier hosts.

He is the first player on record (since the 2008-09 season) to record two assists on his first Pokal appearance for BVB.

He also created the joint-most chances of any player on the pitch (three, alongside Brandt), while his 154 accurate passes were only bettered by Niklas Sule (191).

As Nuri Sahin's side prepare for their Bundesliga opener against Eintracht Frankfurt next week, the former Brighton and Hove Albion man believes there is more to come.

"There was no alternative but to win the match. We played a good game in the first period and showed some good ideas, but we can and must improve," he told Sky Sports Germany.

"I also have room for improvement. It was my first match, it was decent. I want to get to know my team-mates better every day. 

"My job is to carry our play from back to front, to give it a certain stability and to set our attacking weapons in motion."

Sahin's first competitive game in charge saw BVB dominate possession with an 85.2% share, with Sule (196) attempting the most passes of any player in a Pokal match on record. 

Sahin himself was the previous record holder, having attempted 184 passes for Dortmund versus 1860 Munich in 2013.

"It's important to play in a dominant way in the first round and not let anything go to waste," the former midfielder said. 

Asked about the defensive lapse that led to Phonix pulling a goal back early in the second half, he added: "We played over 1,000 passes, so concentration can sometimes drop in a game like this."

Vincent Kompany was impressed with Bayern Munich's energy while Thomas Muller revelled in a "fun" victory over Ulm in the DFB-Pokal.

Kompany's first competitive match in charge of Bayern ended in a resounding 4-0 win on Friday.

Muller's first-half brace got the ball rolling for Bayern, with Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane coming off the bench to add some gloss to the scoreline as Ulm rarely showed a threat going the other way.

Bayern had 16 shots and accumulated 3.28 expected goals (xG) in a dominant performance that impressed their new coach.

"I'm happy. We started well and were 2-0 up early on," said Kompany, as reported by Bayern's website.

"I'm also very happy that we kept a clean sheet. Games like this aren't always easy.

"It wasn't always perfect, but we played with discipline, and 4-0 is good, now we're moving on. The important thing is that we show the right energy. That's the basis, it has to be there."

Muller's goals came inside the first 14 minutes. In his 708th competitive Bayern game, it is the earliest he has ever scored a double.

He said: "We wanted to implement a lot of what we have worked on in the last few weeks. It's fun, I feel good, I'm in good shape physically, I did my job, had a few good moves, I'm happy about that.

"If you look at how we work against the ball and the way we tackle, you can see a difference to what didn't do us so much good last year. I thought it was a good performance, even if there is still room for improvement with the ball."

Thomas Muller's first-half brace ensured Vincent Kompany got off to a winning start at Bayern Munich as they beat Ulm 4-0 in the DFB-Pokal first round.

Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane came off the bench to add some gloss to the scoreline as Ulm rarely showed a threat against a dominant Bayern side.

The hosts did almost cause an early shock though, as Maurice Krattenmacher was left unmarked at the far post, but he could not adjust quickly enough and turned his first-time shot wide.

Joshua Kimmich then unlocked Ulm's defence with a throughball into Stanisic, who did brilliantly while off-balance to set up Muller for his first of the game.

And just two minutes later, the forward had his second – Christian Ortag was drawn to Serge Gnabry's run, leaving Muller to tap it into the empty net.

The hosts showed some fight in the second half, with Dennis Chessa forcing Manuel Neuer into a low save before Bayern finally got their third in the 79th minute, as Michael Olise's trickery set Coman up for a close-range finish. 

Kane had a goal ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper, but he was not to be denied as he headed in a fourth with the final touch of the game. 

Data Debrief: Muller at the double

Muller is off the mark for the season, and he wasted no time in doing it. He scored his earliest brace for Bayern (14 minutes) in his 708th competitive match for the club.

It was a clinical performance from the 34-year-old, who scored with both of his shots on target as he registered an expected goals of 1.42, and only Jamal Musiala (eight) had more touches in the opposition box than him (seven).

Bayer Leverkusen's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double was the result of players keeping faith in the team throughout what turned into a dream season, so says Xabi Alonso.

Leverkusen added the Pokal to their Bundesliga crown with a 1-0 victory over second-tier Kaiserslautern.

Granit Xhaka scored the only goal of the game as he arrowed in from distance in the 16th minute.

"In the end, to win like that meant we showed spirit, we fought for the fans for the club," said Alonso.

"It is a huge success to win the double. We will remember this in the future."

Leverkusen lost only one of 53 matches across all competitions this season, with that sole defeat coming in Wednesday's Europa League final against Atalanta, denying them a treble.

"The most important thing was the belief of the team. They were ready to battle with 10 players and I am proud of that," Alonso said.

"I need time to accept what happened this season. It was a dream season and to celebrate the last day like this here is special."

Leverkusen will be looking to build on their success next season, with Alonso having snubbed the advances of Liverpool and Bayern Munich in order to stay at the club.

Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen battled past second-tier Kaiserslautern 1-0 on Saturday to win the DFB-Pokal and secure the club's first domestic double.

Leverkusen missed out on a treble after losing 3-0 to Atalanta in the Europa League final on Wednesday, in what was astonishingly their first defeat of the season in all competitions, after a European record 51-game unbeaten run.

But at Berlin's Olympic stadium, which will host the Euro 2024 final in July, Xabi Alonso's side ensured they capped off a remarkable campaign with another piece of silverware thanks to Granit Xhaka's stunning 16th-minute strike.

The ball rolled out to the former Arsenal man around 25 yards out, and he planted an unstoppable first-time effort into the left-hand side of the net.

They controlled the pace even after they were reduced to 10 men following Odilon Kossounou's second booking a minute before half-time.

Kaiserslautern rarely threatened after the break, with Leverkusen limiting their opponents to just 0.2 expected goals.

And even though they could not add to their lead, Leverkusen were able to comfortably wrap up their second trophy of the best season in the club's history.

Data Debrief: Leverkusen join the club

Leverkusen are only the fifth different side to win the double in Germany since the Bundesliga was founded, after Bayern Munich (13 times), 1. Koln, Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund.

Xhaka's strike was a worthy winner. He became the first Swiss player to score in a DFB-Pokal final.

Bayer Leverkusen have quickly put Wednesday's Europa League final defeat to Atalanta behind them, says coach Xabi Alonso.

The freshly-crowned Bundesliga champions can clinch a first-ever domestic double with victory over second-division Kaiserslautern in Saturday's final.

Leverkusen had the opportunity to complete an unbeaten treble but saw their 51-match unbeaten run in all competitions ended in the Europa League final on Wednesday when they lost 3-0 to Atalanta.

Now, they have the opportunity to cap an already memorable season by winning the DFB-Pokal.

"It was a long way to get here, since August last year," said Alonso of Saturday's showcase at Berlin's Olympic stadium.

"We are here. It is great to have the last game of the season as a final. After Wednesday, we are ready and focused for tomorrow. We have to have the hunger and I think after Wednesday we have it more."

Prior to this season's Bundesliga title, Leverkusen's last trophy was the 1993 DFB-Pokal.

Alonso said the team had little time to review their first defeat of the season, but they had already put the loss behind them, having a shot at the double.

"The time for analysis is short because our focus is now on tomorrow. What happened on Wednesday hopefully will not have much influence," Alonso added.

"We have to continue after the defeat. The goal is big. Tomorrow we can cap it with the Cup. Dublin is gone and behind us, and now we think about Berlin."

Treble-chasing Bayer Leverkusen are offering supporters free tattoos to commemorate their Bundesliga-winning season and record-breaking unbeaten run.

Xabi Alonso's team, undefeated across all competitions this season, reached the Europa League final with a 2-2 comeback draw against Roma on Thursday, sealing a 4-2 aggregate win.

That result also stretched their unbeaten run this season to 49 matches across all competitions, surpassing Benfica's long-standing European record of 48, set between 1963 and 1965.

"A special action at the end of a special season. Bayer 04 are offering fans, until the end of the season, the opportunity to choose one of many Bayer 04 tattoos for free," the club said in a statement.

"Book your appointment now to eternalise this unique season on your skin."

Having sealed their first ever Bundesliga title, Leverkusen are also through to the DFB-Pokal final.

They will face second-tier Kaiserslautern in that showpiece game on May 25, three days after they take on Atalanta in the Europa League final.

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said his team deserve to win all three trophies available to them this season after they qualified for the Europa League final by seeing off Roma on Thursday.

Leverkusen, who have already wrapped up the Bundesliga title and will contest the DFB-Pokal final on May 25, stretched their unbeaten run through all competitions this season to 49 matches, surpassing Benfica's long-standing European top-tier record set between 1963 and 1965.

Once again, they did it the hard way after two Leandro Paredes penalties wiped out their first-leg advantage, with a Gianluca Mancini own goal and a stoppage-time strike from Josip Stanisic completing a dramatic comeback.

Following their 4-2 aggregate victory, Roma will face Atalanta in the May 22 final in Dublin, after La Dea overcame Marseille 4-1 on aggregate in the other semi-final.

"We'll play two finals in a week as a result," Alonso said. "We showed great character today after their second goal. 

"I looked my players in the eye afterwards and saw that they wanted more.

"We still have the chance to win three titles, and my boys deserve all three titles."

Despite going 3-2 up on aggregate when Mancini put through his own net, Leverkusen refused to sit back as they looked to preserve their unbeaten record, which they did through Stanisic's 97th-minute strike.

Asked whether that goal was one of the biggest moments of his career, the Bayern Munich loanee said: "Definitely one of them. 

"We knew what was at stake, we really wanted to get to the final and I think you could see that over 90 minutes today.

"I don't think we would have cared in the end if we lost and still progressed because we really wanted to get to the final, but it's even nicer this way."

For Roma, the chance to reach a second straight Europa League final after last season's defeat by Sevilla on penalties slipped away in the dying minutes of the match.

"When you manage to get it back from 2-0 down and go close to the miracle, knowing nobody has ever beaten them this season, it hurts to see us concede a goal like that. It hurts," Roma boss Daniele De Rossi told Sky Sports Italia.

Xabi Alonso believes his Bayer Leverkusen side can still improve after they extended their unbeaten run to 48 matches across all competitions on Sunday, equalling Benfica's European record.

Champions Leverkusen thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the Bundesliga to match Benfica's 48-game unbeaten run between 1963 and 1965 – a record across all competitions in Europe.

Alonso, however, still feels there is more to come.

"Our level, our consistency throughout the season is great. But we are always moving forward. We are always concentrating on the work and improving," he said.

Leverkusen, who are edging closer to an unbeaten season across all competitions, have two league matches remaining and are also set to face Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final on May 25.

They also hold a 2-0 lead over Roma at the halfway stage of their Europa League semi-final tie, with Thursday's second leg offering them the chance to surpass Benfica's record on home soil.

"It's a big challenge, we have two [Bundesliga] games left, it will be the perfect run. We will certainly try," Alonso said.

"We still have games to play to achieve our big goals in all competitions. The next game is important for us, the second leg of the Europa League semi-final: a chance to reach the final.

"In football it's sometimes difficult to stop. You have to prepare for the next game. The next game is a big game for us. Hopefully we have the chance to be in a European final again."

Leverkusen will play Bochum and Augsburg in their final two Bundesliga games. 

Should they progress to the Europa League final, they will then face either Atalanta or Marseille in Dublin on May 22, three days before the DFB-Pokal showpiece game.

Xabi Alonso is capable of guiding 'exceptional' Bayer Leverkusen through the remainder of the season unbeaten en route to winning a historic treble.

That is according to former Leverkusen defender Carsten Ramelow, who told Stats Perform that Alonso is undoubtedly the key to their success.

Bayer were crowned champions of Germany at the weekend for the first time in their 120-year history with five Bundesliga games still to play.

Not only have Alonso's side dodged defeat in the league, they have also not lost any of their 14 DFB-Pokal or Europa League matches.

With a 2-0 lead heading into their Europa quarter-final second leg against West Ham, and with Kaiserslautern awaiting them in the domestic cup final, the treble is very much on.

"The season they have played is phenomenal," Ramelow said. "Their streak is sensational and it looks like they will do this until the end. 

"Every team has a bit of a lapse, but Leverkusen have been exceptional in every competition. They can still win everything. Things are looking really good."

Former Real Sociedad B coach Alonso took over Leverkusen in October 2022 with the club second from bottom in the Bundesliga.

The Spaniard guided them to sixth last season and has taken them to the title in his first full campaign at BayArena, ending Bayern's run of 11 successive crowns.

Ramelow, who spent 13 years as a Leverkusen player, has hailed the part Alonso has played in the greatest season in the club's history.

"I heard a lot of people talk about him how much of a worker he is, and that he is also very companionable," Ramelow said. "The whole package is in perfect harmony.

"I think that the coach has big merit in this. When he arrived in Leverkusen, he was facing a few problems, which is normal. 

"I think you have to give managers some time in this day and age. That's also what they did with him. He explained his philosophy and idea very well to the team. 

"The boys execute that really well. And I also think he’s a great guy who acts as an example for his players – both on and off the pitch."