The two standout German teams from last season are on opposite trajectories as the pressure mounts in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

A second-half goal from Alex Grimaldo sent Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-0 home win over Mainz, closing the gap with league leaders Bayern Munich to one point.With half the season played, Dortmund sit ninth,

Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen only managed a narrow 1-0 victory against Mainz on Tuesday, but that was enough to keep them close to leaders Bayern Munich. With the win, they are second in the standings,

Borussia Dortmund has slumped to a 4-2 loss at promoted Holstein Kiel. It piles the pressure on coach Nuri Sahin after the team’s worst opening half to the Bundesliga for 10 years.

Borussia Dortmund's season is on the brink of collapse following their two defeats in two league games this year while coach Nuri Sahin is quickly running out of time to turn things around for last year's Champions League finalists.

Borussia Dortmund's struggles in the league continued with a 4-2 loss at Holstein Kiel on Tuesday, raising the heat on under-fire coach Nuri Sahin. Questions will continue to be asked of coach Sahin,

Aston Villa has signed Netherlands forward Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund for a reported fee of 21 million pounds ($25.6 million).

Aston Villa have completed the signing of forward Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund. The 25-year-old Netherlands international has signed a long-term contract with the Premier League club. The Athletic reported on January 13 that a deal had been agreed between the two clubs worth €23million (£19.