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,

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

FC Heidenheim 1846 Werder Bremen SC Freiburg FC Augsburg VfL Wolfsburg FSV Mainz 05 Bor. Mönchengladbach 1.FC Union Berlin VfL Bochum FC St. Pauli Holstein Kiel

The Loons will play Holstein Kiel of the Bundesliga in an international friendly at Allianz Field on July 7, the teams announced Friday. Holstein Kiel, which earned promotion to Germany’s top league this season,

Holstein Kiel succumbed to a 3-2 defeat on Saturday at the hands of Freiburg, who were leading 3-0 before conceding in the 85th and 90th minutes. Boss Marcel Rapp might feel his team should have done considerably better defensively considering his side did not face a big chance and only faced an xG total of 0.63.

A second-half goal from Alex Grimaldo sent Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-0 home win over Mainz, closing the gap with league leader Bayern Munich to one point. Borussia Dortmund's struggles in the league continued with a 4-2 loss at Holstein Kiel earlier on Tuesday, raising the heat on under-fire coach Nuri Sahin.

Jan 13 (Reuters) - Borussia Dortmund manager Nuri Sahin cut a disconsolate figure on Monday as he counted the cost of a flu-like illness that has cut through his squad and continues to wreak havoc as they prepare to face Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga.

Borussia Dortmund were unable to bounce back from their Friday night defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen, falling to a 4-2 loss away from home against relegation-threatened Holstein Kiel.Unlike

Nuri Sahin cut a disconsolate figure as he counted the cost of a flu-like illness in the Borussia Dortmund squad, but says they are determined to beat Holstein Kiel.

Holstein Kiel boost their survival hopes, stunning Borussia Dortmund with three first-half goals in a brilliant Bundesliga win.

As for Holstein Kiel, Lewis Holtby is expected to return to the line-up while there could also be starts for Andu Kelati and Dominik Javorček, both of whom have played a bit-part role this season. Armin Gigović and Nicolai Remberg have both picked up four yellow cards this season and upon collecting a fifth, will serve a one game ban.

The Bundesliga will resume its proceedings as Holstein Kiel gear up to host Borussia Dortmund in their 17th league game of the season.