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Wolfsburg manager Felix Magath has omitted defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos and midfielder Jan Polak from his squad.
The Wolves, who have lost seven Bundesliga matches already this season, were beaten 2-0 by second division side Energie Cottbus and Magath has made Kyrgiakos and Polak his scapegoats.
"I have decided not to consider the pair for the coming games," Magath is quoted as saying by sport.de.
"We have so many players in our squad who can replace them."
Wolfsburg currently lie 13th in the Bundesliga and Magath arranged the game to enable him to take a closer look at his options.
However, he felt let down not only by Kyrgiakos and Polak.
"We played a good game in the first half, but I cannot explain what one or two players were thinking in the second half," he said.
"There were several players in the team who had the chance to prove what they can do after impressing in training.
Howedes seeks regular Germany role 10 November 2011
Schalke defender Benedikt Howedes says he is striving to become a regular member of the German national team.
The versatile 23-year-old is behind the likes of Per Mertesacker and Mats Hummels in the defensive pecking order, but says he is happy to play wherever Germany coach Joachim Loew chooses to deploy him.
"We are always pleased to travel with the national team. There is always international experience at stake and it's unique," said Howedes.
"Whether (the experience) is in the starting line-up, that remains to be seen, but I think there are two or three other players who are fighting for a starting berth in defence."
"Of course I am trying to attract attention with my performances, but where I play is decided by the coach."
Germany play away to Ukraine in a friendly international on Friday, before hosting the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben will not rush his comeback from a groin injury despite resuming training with the Bundesliga giants.
The 27-year-old resumed training earlier this week but is wary of making a hasty return to competitive action.
"Things are going in the right direction, but I still have to be patient," Robben said.
"I have yet to return to full fitness and am not in a rush. I don't want to put any pressure on myself by setting a return date."
Robben underwent groin surgery in early October and is not expected to feature in the blockbuster clash with Borussia Dortmund on November 20.
Hundreds of fans marched in Hannover in honour of goalkeeper Robert Enke on Thursday, on the second anniversary his tragic death.
Around 300 people gathered to march from downtown Hannover to the AWD-Arena, where they laid flowers and lit candles in remembrance of the player who served the Bundesliga club from 2004 to 2009.
Capped eight times by Germany, Enke committed suicide on November 10, 2009 after a battle with depression.
In the former Barcelona goalkeeper's memory, the Robert Enke Foundation was established by Hannover, the DFB (the German Football Association) and DFL (the German Football League) to raise money to combat depression and heart disease.
Bayer Leverkusen general manager Wolfgang Holzhauser has given coach Robin Dutt his backing and questioned Matthias Sammer's role as a television pundit.
Holzhauser reacted angrily to criticism of his club from former Borussia Dortmund boss Sammer, who works for Sky television as well as being the technical director of the German Football Association (DFB).
"I know that in a cut-throat business like football, it is very difficult to remain patient, but we need patience, especially for the coach," said Holzhauser. "I would like to give Robin Dutt and his team my faith and, at the same time, praise him for his excellent work.
"Maybe the DFB should consider what roles the employees of the world's biggest sports association are allowed to take." Holzhauser was particularly annoyed with Sammer's remarks after Leverkusen's defeat to Valencia in the Champions League a week ago.
Sammer said that "too much is being painted in a positive light at Leverkusen" before branding the result "catastrophic". "The way in which Matthias Sammer, for example, ignored the performance of the referee in Valencia and massacred the performance of our team is definitely borderline," added Holzhauser.
"Had (Bayer's director of sport) Rudi Voller got so worked up in front of a camera, he would have soon felt the wrath of the sport's disciplinary bodies again." Sammer responded to Holzhauser's outburst by telling Germany's Bild newspaper that he "would have preferred it if Mr Holzhauser had called me directly if there were any problems".
He added: "I would never criticise a coach. I met Robin Dutt last Monday at a meeting of coaches and he explicitly thanked me as technical director for the support I have been giving coaches."
Cologne president Wolfgang Overath intends to relinquish the role in 2013.
The 1974 World Cup-winner became the club's president in June 2004 and has another 18 months to go on his current term, but he told the Bild newspaper that he will not be standing for re-election.
"I think then it will be time for somebody younger to take over," he said. "I have been doing this for nearly seven years now and I think that, when I am 70, I want a normal life back.
"There are still one and a half years until 2013 and that is a long time, but then that should be the end."
Despite guiding the club back to the Bundesliga, he has seen seven coaches come and go during a period of struggle in the top flight.
One of his biggest coups was re-signing Lukas Podolski from Bayern Munich and he hopes that the Germany international will still be at the club when he steps down, although he can understand why the 26-year-old may be considering leaving.
"On the one hand, he knows that he is at home here, but on the other side, he may be thinking that he can earn more money elsewhere," added Overath. "I think he probably doesn't know himself yet what he wants to do."
Bayern Munich midfielder Anatoli Tymoshchuk spoke about how he is now loving life at the club under current coach Jupp Heynckes after a tough tart.
Tymoshchuk was signed by Jurgen Klinsmann midway through the 2008-09 season but when he arrived in the summer of 2009, Louis van Gaal had taken over at the Allianz Arena. The Dutchman made it clear immediately that he had different thoughts to his predecessor.
"Louis Van Gaal said to me at the first training session that he had not signed me and that he had no need for a player like me," the Ukraine international told the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. "I had not even commenced training. "It was very tough to work in such a dismal situation."
Tymoshchuk was eventually given a chance when injuries left Van Gaal with no other choice, although he was never really a regular in the side until this season under Heynckes. "There was a much more relaxed situation when Heynckes arrived," added the 32-year-old.
"In our first chat, Heynckes told me that he had seen me play for Zenit and that he had seen such and such of me and that he thought my best position was as a defensive midfielder.
"That is what I had always said. Whenever Van Gaal played me as a central defender, then I played there, but I believe that I am of more use to a team as a defensive midfielder."
The change in coach has therefore brought about a change in Tymoshchuk's own perspectives, and he would have nothing against sticking around for several more years. He added: "Overall, my family and I are happy here and if the club would like to extend my contract, then I would be happy with that."
Tymoshchuk has made eight appearances for Bayern in the Bundesliga this season. However, he will miss the next three games due to suspension - pending an appeal - after being sent off against Augsburg last weekend.
Cologne confident Podolski will stay Cologne coach Stale Solbakken is confident Lukas Podolski will not ask for a transfer after the shock resignation of club president Wolfgang Overath on Monday.
Olic mulling over Bayern future Bayern Munich striker Ivica Olic has reiterated his desire to leave the club this winter if he fails to break back into the first team.
Leno reveals Neuer admiration Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno has revealed his admiration for Bayern Munich counterpart Manuel Neuer.
Allofs: Pizzaro can leave Bremen Werder Bremen striker Claudio Pizarro can leave the club should the right offer come in, according to director of sport Klaus Allofs.
"Bundesliga better than BPL, La Liga" Ex-Chelsea and Tottenham director of football Frank Arnesen has praised the quality of the Bundesliga over its continental rivals.
Cologne chief steps down Cologne president Wolfgang Overath has announced his immediate resignation at a general meeting of the board.
Allofs undecided on future at Bremen Werder Bremen's director of sport Klaus Allofs has cast doubt over his future at the club by admitting that he is nowhere near signing a new contract.
Minister supports ban for misbehaving fans Germany's Minister for Home Affairs, Hans-Peter Friedrich, has called for nationwide bans to be enforced on fans found misbehaving at football matches.
"Bundesliga better than BPL, La Liga" Ex-Chelsea and Tottenham director of football Frank Arnesen has praised the quality of the Bundesliga over its continental rivals.
Having travelled throughout Europe and studying it's different footballing leagues, the current Hamburg coach crowed that Germany's top-flight is better than any other in Europe.
"If you consider all aspects, the Bundesliga is the strongest league in Europe," Arnesen told Bild.
"If you see how many people come to each game, it is fantastic.
"Here [in Germany], anyone can beat anyone else. The Bundesliga is so unique. I am very glad that I have the privilege of working here."
Although Hamburg are languishing 16th on the Bundesliga table, Arnesen still retains hope for their season.
"It remains difficult to get out of the bottom of the table, even though I have seen a clear upward trend from the team in recent weeks," he added.
"There is still a difficult season ahead of us. We must do everything to ensure that we avoid the drop", he concluded.
Werder Bremen striker Claudio Pizarro can leave the club should the right offer come in, according to director of sport Klaus Allofs.
The Peruvian striker has regained his best form this season and recently became the most prolific overseas player ever in the Bundesliga with 153 goals to his name, surpassing Giovane Elber's previous record of 134.
However, his future in northern Germany is not certain, even though he still has over a year left to run on his contract.
"If there is an extraordinary situation, then he does have the chance to end his time in Bremen," Allofs told the Bild newspaper. "There is a kind of friendly agreement between us, but we definitely want him to stay.
"And he also cherishes what he has got here in Bremen." Pizarro returned to Bremen, for whom he played between 1999 and 2001, after spending two pretty unsuccessful seasons with Chelsea.
He has scored 53 goals in 85 appearances in his second spell at the club, having found the back of the net 29 times in 56 matches during his first spell.
He also scored 71 goals in six seasons with Bayern Munich before moving to the Blues, for whom he only found the back of the net twice.
Minister supports ban for misbehaving fans Germany's Minister for Home Affairs, Hans-Peter Friedrich, has called for nationwide bans to be enforced on fans found misbehaving at football matches.
The actions of some groups of spectators at recent matches in the Bundesliga, 2.Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal have led to a widespread condemnation of what is seen as an alarming increase in hooliganism.
The German Football Association (DFB) have already signalled their intentions in fighting the problem by suggesting Dynamo Dresden, whose fans recently almost forced their DFB-Pokal game at Borussia Dortmund to be abandoned, be excluded from the competition for a year.
Heavier fines and the threat of staging matches behind closed doors are other suggestions made to counter the increased use of flares inside grounds.
However, Friedrich says the clubs should not be made to pay but rather the culprits must be identified and prevented from attending any game in Germany.
"There are still lots of people intent on being violent who only go to football games to seek violence," he told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
"We need to impose sanctions on them like stadium bans, and the decisive thing is that these bans must then be enforced, and this must happen nationwide."
Friedrich has called a meeting for Monday in which the president of the DFB, Dr Theo Zwanziger, and the German Football League president, Dr Reinhard Rauball, will discuss the options for reducing the risk of violence at grounds.
Banning alcohol in and around stadiums is not one of those options, though, according to Friedrich.
"What we do has got to be something that a normal person can understand and if somebody enjoys a beer at a beautiful football game, then that is not a problem," he added.
Allofs rejects Cologne speculation
Werder Bremen sporting director Klaus Allofs insists he is committed to the club amid speculation linking him with the presidency of his old club Cologne.
Agent: Podolski open to Lazio switch
Cologne striker Lukas Podolski would be open to joining Serie A outfit Lazio in the January transfer window, according to his agent Kon Schramm.
Schalke kick out Albert Streit
Schalke have terminated the contract of midfielder Albert Streit with immediate effect.
Rummenigge rules out January sales
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has told Ivica Olic that he is going nowhere this winter by ruling out any sales during the transfer window.
Arnesen backs outgoing Jarolim
Hamburg's director of sport Frank Arnesen has told David Jarolim that he can leave the club this winter and still return to work in a coaching capacity when he hangs up his boots.
Schalke kick out Albert Streit Schalke have terminated the contract of midfielder Albert Streit with immediate effect.
Streit, a former Germany B international, has not played for Schalke's first team for over two years after falling out of favour following a series of injuries.
The 31-year-old has previously threatened to sue his club for their attempts to terminate his contract after forcing him to train with the reserves.
Streit and the club have now reached an out-of-court settlement over the player's contract, which was due to expire next summer.
A statement on schalke04.de read: "The legal tug of war between FC Schalke 04 and Albert Streit has ended.
"The club have agreed an out-of-court settlement and the employment relationship is dissolved."
The statement added that the terms of the settlement would not be disclosed.
"I am glad that this very difficult time is over for me," Streit added in quotes reported by Kicker.de. "Whoever knows me knows that I speak the truth."
Although now a free agent, Streit's future remains unclear. He is understood to be considering offers to play abroad but has not ruled out retirement.
Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has officially signed a new contract with Borussia Monchengladbach, extending his stay until 2015.
The 19-year-old's new deal comes with a salary rise, and adds an extra year to his previous agreement.
"Marc-Andre is an outstanding talent in German football and we are pleased that he has committed himself to another year at Borussia," Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl told the club's official website.
"He has a great career ahead of him, we can be proud to have such a player training with us."
A Germany Under-21 international and native of Monchengladbach, ter Stegen has been associated with his hometown club since the age of four.
Schalke suffer double injury blow 17 November 2011
Schalke captain Benedikt Howedes and Jefferson Farfan have both avoided serious knee injuries but will be out of action until January.
The Gelsenkirchen side feared the worst for Farfan after he was forced off the pitch in Peru's 2-0 World Cup qualifying loss to Ecuador on Tuesday.
However, it was confirmed via MRI that the 27-year-old winger had avoided cruciate ligament damage, and instead sustained a partial rupture in his lateral collateral ligament.
Accordingly, he will be unable to train at full strength for one month. Howedes sustained similar damage to his knee during Germany's 3-0 friendly win over the Netherlands on Tuesday, and is set for a one-month absence as well.
The centre-back managed to stay on the pitch until the final whistle, but later revealed that he struggled with some considerable discomfort."I felt pain immediately.
Dr [Hans-Wilhelm] Muller-Wohlfahrt was afraid it might have been serious.
In the morning I flew to Gelsenkirchen, then came the diagnosis," Howedes said.Schalke sporting director Horst Heldt rued the absence of two key players, but insisted that his side will be able to cope until after the winter break.
"The injuries hurt us tremendously, but we have a great squad," he said.
Bayer Leverkusen coach Robin Dutt admits his side faces a make-or-break match at Kaiserslautern.
Last season's runners-up are struggling in eighth place at the moment and Dutt is aware that they cannot afford to drop any more points between now and Christmas if they are to manoeuvre themselves into a position to challenge for a place in the Champions League next season.
"This is a very important game for us," he said. "We want to catch up with the leaders by Christmas and not get separated from them. "Therefore, we have got to win this game."
A win would take Leverkusen into the top six, at least until the remainder of the weekend's fixtures have been played, but Dutt knows it is not going to be easy against a side who could move to within just two points of his with a win.
"Lautern have a lot of self-confidence at present," he told a press conference. "They are playing with a lot of passion, are very aggressive in defence and are quick at turning defence into attack."
Dutt could therefore do with having his quickest players available, but that is unlikely to be the case with Andre Schurrle picking up an injury while on international duty.
"He is more than doubtful," said Dutt. "I will have to decide tomorrow how we compensate for losing him."
The Red Devils have picked up eight points in an unbeaten run of four matches, but their coach Marco Kurz says they are not out of the woods yet.
"We can and we must improve constantly," he said. "We have not reached out goal yet by a long way."
He is without the injured Pierre de Wit, who has the flu, while striker Ilian Micanski has a thigh strain.
Former Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal will return to Ajax in a general director role next year, the Eredivisie champions have announced.
The 60-year-old was sacked by Bayern last season after guiding them to the 2009/10 Bundesliga title as well as the Champions League final in the same season.
Former player Danny Blind and Martin Sturkenboom are in line to complete a re-shuffled board as technical and financial director respectively.
Van Gaal returns to Ajax for a third stint having enjoyed an illustrious career in the Dutch capital.
He began his coaching career in Amsterdam in 1991 before leading Ajax to a UEFA Cup in 1992 and a Champions League three years later.
Van Gaal left his post as coach in 1997 but returned in 2003 as a technical director before departing again in 2004.He will assume his new role on July 1.
Ballack considers another overseas stint 18 November 2011
Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Michael Ballack admits that he is contemplating a second spell abroad.
The 35-year-old returned to Leverkusen in 2010 after spending four years at Chelsea in what was his first stint outside Germany.
Ballack revealed that he is currently assessing his options and refused to rule out a new experience abroad.
"A move abroad could be good," he told Sky television. "From my gut, at the moment, I would say yes. Currently I have little thought of extending my contract."
"At the moment I am assuming that this will be my last season at Leverkusen.""I still feel good, but I do not know what I will do yet.
If I stay healthy, I still would like to play one, or two years at a high level.
"Ballack, who led Germany to the 2002 World Cup final which he missed due to suspension, has made 13 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen, who sit eighth in Bundesliga this season.
Ballack ready to leave Leverkusen Former Germany captain Michael Ballack has does not expect to stay at Bayer Leverkusen beyond this summer as his contract runs out at the end of the season.
Reus welcomes Bayern interest
Borussia Monchengladbach winger Marco Reus admits he is flattered by the reported interest shown in him by Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
Ballack ready to leave Leverkusen Former Germany captain Michael Ballack has does not expect to stay at Bayer Leverkusen beyond this summer as his contract runs out at the end of the season.
The veteran midfielder is at the fringes of the squad after rejoining them in 2010 following a series of injuries that kept him out.
His contract, which runs out in 2012, is unlikely to be renewed, and the player has accepted the fact that he may leave the BayArena the coming summer.
"I have little thought of extending my contract. At the moment I am expecting this to be my last season in Leverkusen," Ballack told Sky television.
However, retirement is not an option that the former Germany captain is thinking of.
Ballack feels that he still has it in him to last a while more at the top, though his next destination is still as good as anyone's guess.
"I still feel good but I do not know yet what I will do," said Ballack. "If I remain healthy I want to play another one or two years at a good level."
Ballack recently lost his place in the Germany team when coach Joachim Low ushered in a younger generation of players, leaving him free to commit fully at club level after bringing the national team to runners-up in the 2002 World Cup and third place in the 2006 edition.
