2013–14 in German football

The 2013–14 season is the 104th season of competitive football in Germany.

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
Germany secured qualification for the 2014 World Cup on October 11, 2013 after defeating Ireland 3–0 in Cologne.

Bundesliga review
The 2013–14 Bundesliga season started on August 9, 2013. After the first round of matches, Hertha BSC was in first place and Eintracht Frankfurt was in 18th place. After 17 rounds, the season reached its halfway mark. Bayern Munich were in first place seven points ahead of second place Bayer Leverkusen. 1. FC Nürnberg and Eintracht Braunschweig were in the automatic relegation spots with 11 points each. Bayern Munich clinched their 24th championship after the 27th round of matches when they led second place Borussia Dortmund by 25 points. The final matches of the season were played on May 10, 2014 A 1–4 defeat to Schalke 04 confirmed relegation for Nürnberg on the final day of the season. Eintracht Braunschweig were relegated after a 1–3 loss to 1899 Hoffenheim on the final day. Despite losing 2–3 to FSV Mainz 05 on the final day, Hamburger SV still have a chance of remaining in the Bundesliga when they face SpVgg Greuther Fürth in the relegation play-offs. VfL Wolfsburg's defeat of Borussia Mönchengladbach secured a spot for the Wolves in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League group stage. Gladbach's defeat meant they would be placed in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League play-off round. Mainz will be competing in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round due to their victory over Hamburg. Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, runners-up Borussia Dortmund, and third placed Schalke 04 will all enter the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage. Bayer Leverksuen, who finished in fourth place, will enter the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League play-off round. The first leg of the relegation play-offs between 16th placed Hamburg and Greuther Fürth who placed 3rd in the 2. Bundesliga was played on 15 May. It ended as a goalless draw. The second leg was played on 18 May. Greuther Fürth hosted Hamburg in the second leg of the play-off. Pierre-Michel Lasogga scored the first goal of the match to give Hamburg a 1–0 lead. Stephan Fürstner scored for Fürth to make the score 1–1. The aggregate score over the two legs was 1–1. Hamburg remained in the Bundesliga thanks to the away goals rule.

DFB–Pokal
The 2013–14 DFB-Pokal had sixty-four teams participate in the competition. Participants included all clubs from the 2012–13 Bundesliga and 2012–13 2. Bundesliga, except Dynamo Dresden who were banned from this season's competition. The best four teams of the 2012–13 3. Liga and twenty-five teams from the twenty-one regional associations completed the entrants to the tournament. The first round matches were played from 2 August to 5 August. SC Wiedenbrück 2000 were the only 4th division club to make it past the first round. They were paired with 2. Bundesliga side SV Sandhausen. Only two matches in the second round were between Bundesliga clubs. The second round matches were played on 24 and 25 September. 1. FC Saarbrücken were the only third division club to make it to the third round. They were drawn against Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. The third round matches were played on 3 and 4 December. After the third round, 1. FC Kaiserslautern were the last 2. Bundesliga club in the competition. They were paired with Bayer Leverkusen. The quarter-finals were played on 11 and 12 February. Kaiserslautern beat Leverkusen in the quarter-finals to be the only 2. Bundesliga club in the semi-finals along with three Bundesliga clubs. Title holders Bayern Munich were paired with Kaiserslautern and last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund were paired with VfL Wolfsburg in the semi-finals. The semi-finals matches were played on 15 and 16 April. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund played each other in the 2014 DFB-Pokal Final on 17 May. After 90 minutes of regulation time, no goals had been scored. Extra time was needed for the first time since 1992 to decide a winner. Goals from Arjen Robben and Thomas Müller during extra time gave Bayern Munich a 2–0 victory. This title, along with the Bundesliga title, completed a domestic double for Bayern.

Champions League
For the first time, four German clubs made it through the group stage into the Round of 16. Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, and Schalke 04 all qualified for the knockout stage.

Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen finished third in the 2012–13 Bundesliga which led to a berth in the Champions League group stage. The group-stage draw on August 29, 2013 saw Leverkusen placed in Group A along with Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Shakhtar Donetsk. On September 17, 2013, Manchester United defeated Leverkusen 2–4 at Old Trafford. Simon Rolfes and Ömer Toprak scored for Leverkusen. The match on October 2, 2013 saw goals from Rolfes and Jens Hegeler lead to a 2–1 win over Real Sociedad at BayArena. A brace from Stefan Kießling along with goals from Rolfes and Sidney Sam led to a 4–0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on October 23, 2013 at BayArena. The result on November 5, 2013 was a goalless draw at Donbass Arena against Shakhtar Donetsk. The match at BayArena against Manchester United on November 27, 2013 resulted in a 0–5 loss. A 1–0 win over Real Sociedad due to a goal from Toprak on December 10, 2013 at Anoeta Stadium. This win plus a win by Manchester United over Shakhtar Donetsk led to a second-place finish in Group A and advancement to the Round of 16.

The draw for the Round of 16 took place on December 16, 2013. Bayer Leverkusen were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain. The first leg was played on February 18, 2014 at BayArena and resulted in a 0–5 defeat for Leverkusen. PSG scored four goals before Leverkusen were reduced to ten men in the 59th minute when Emir Spahić received a second yellow card. The second leg was played on March 12, 2014 at Parc des Princes Sam scored for Leverkusen in the sixth minute. PSG later scored two goals resulting in a 1–2 defeat for Leverkusen. The aggregate score of 1–6 saw Bayer Leverkusen eliminated from the competition.

Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich won both the 2012–13 Bundesliga and 2012–13 UEFA Champions League and was given a berth in the Champions League group stage. The group-stage draw on August 29, 2013 saw Bayern placed in Group D with CSKA Moscow, Manchester City and Viktoria Plzeň. Bayern's first match took place on September 17, 2013 against CSKA Moscow. Goals from David Alaba, Mario Mandžukić, and Arjen Robben resulted in a 3–0 victory for Bayern at Allianz Arena. The match against Manchester City on October 2, 2013 at Etihad Stadium resulted in a 3–1 win. Franck Ribéry, Thomas Müller and Robben scored the goals for Bayern and Jérôme Boateng earned a red card leaving Bayern with 10 men from the 86th minute. Bayern defeated Viktoria Plzeň 5–0 on October 23, 2013 at Allianz Arena. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mario Götze and Alaba contributed one goal each while Ribéry scored two goals. On November 5, 2013 Bayern defeated Viktoria Plzeň at Doosan Arena by a score of 1–0. Mandžukić scored the game's only goal. Bayern secured its place in the round of 16 with this win and a win by Manchester City over CSKA Moscow. This win was Bayern's ninth consecutive win in Champions League play which tied a record with Barcelona. Bayern's fifth match of the group stage took place at Luzhniki Stadium on November 27, 2013 was a 3–1 defeat of CSKA Moscow with goals from Robben, Götze, and Müller. This win set a new record undefeated streak in Champions League play at ten games. The final group match for Bayern took place on December 10, 2013 with a 2–3 defeat to Manchester City at Allianz Arena. Bayern's goals were scored by Müller and Götze. The win was not enough for Manchester City to take over first place in Group D from Bayern Munich. This loss ended Bayern's record win streak end at ten games.

The draw for the Round of 16 took place on December 16, 2013. Bayern Munich were drawn against Arsenal. The first leg was played on February 19, 2014 at Emirates Stadium. During the 8th minute, Manuel Neuer stopped a penalty kick from Arsenal's Mesut Özil. Wojciech Szczęsny was sent-off in the 37th minute after taking down Arjen Robben in the penalty area. David Alaba missed the penalty kick that followed. A goal scored by Toni Kroos in the 54th minute and one scored by Thomas Müller in the 88th minute gave Bayern a 2–0 victory. The second leg was played on March 11, 2014 at Allianz Arena and ended as a 1–1 draw. Schweinsteiger scored a goal in the 54th minute to give Bayern the lead before Lukas Podolski tied the game in the 57th minute. Bayern Munich advanced with a 3–1 aggregate score.

The draw for the quarter-finals took place on March 21, 2014. Bayern Munich were drawn against Manchester United F.C. The first leg was played on April 1, 2014 at Old Trafford. Nemanja Vidić scored for United in the 58th minute. Bastian Schweinsteiger scored for Bayern in the 66th minute. The game ended as a 1–1 draw. The second leg was played at the Allianz Arena on April 9, 2014. Patrice Evra of Manchester United scored the first goal of the match in the 57th minute. This lead lasted for 22 seconds before Mandžukić scored Bayern's first goal. Müller and Robben also scored for Bayern resulting in a 3–1 victory. An aggregate score of 4–2 saw Bayern advance to the semi-finals.

The draw for the semi-finals took place on April 11, 2014. Bayern were drawn against Real Madrid C.F. The first leg was played at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on April 23, 2014 and resulted in a 0–1 defeat for Bayern Munich due to a goal in the 19th minute from Karim Benzema. The second leg at the Allianz Arena on April 29, 2014 was a 0–4 defeat for Bayern. Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored two goals for Real Madrid. The aggregate score of 0–5 saw Bayern eliminated from the competition.

Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund finished as runners-up in the 2012–13 Bundesliga which earned a berth in the Champions League group stage. The group-stage draw on August 29, 2013 saw Dortmund placed in Group F with Arsenal, Marseille and Napoli. Dortmund opened its campaign with a 1–2 loss to Napoli on September 18, 2013 at Stadio San Paolo. Roman Weidenfeller earned a red card in stoppage time of the first half leaving Dortmund a man short for the second half of the game. Dortmand got its first win of the group stage on October 1, 2013 against Marseille at Signal Iduna Park by a score of 3–0. Manager Jürgen Klopp was banned from the sideline after an incident with the fourth official in the first match. Robert Lewandowski scored two goals, including one penalty, and Marco Reus scored the other goal. The win streak continued on 2013 at Emirates Stadium with a 2–1 win over Arsenal. Henrik Mkhitaryan scored the first goal in the 16th minute and Lewandowski scored the game winner in the 82nd minute. Arsenal defeated Dortmund 0–1 on November 6, 2013 at Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund returned to winning ways on November 26, 2013 against Napoli by winning 3–1 at Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund's goals came from a Reus penalty, as well as goals from Jakub Błaszczykowski and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The final matchday saw Dortmund face Marseille on December 11, 2013 at Stade Vélodrome. Dortmund won the match 2–1 due to goals from Lewandowski and Kevin Großkreutz. This win moved Dortmund to first place in the group.

The draw for the Round of 16 took place on December 16, 2013. Borussia Dortmund were drawn against Zenit Saint Petersburg. The first leg played on February 25, 2014 at Petrovsky Stadium was won by Dortmund 4–2. Mkhitaryan scored in the fourth minute, Reus scored in the fifth minute and Lewandowski scored in the 61st and 71st minutes. The second leg was played on March 19, 2014 at Signal Iduna Park. Zenit won the match 2–1. Sebastian Kehl's goal in the 38th minute was the only one scored for Dortmund. Dortmund advanced to the quarter-finals due to an aggregate score of 5–4.

The draw for the quarter-finals took place on March 21, 2014 and saw Dortmund drawn against Real Madrid. The first leg was played at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on April 2, 2014. Real Madrid won the match 3–0 due to goals from Gareth Bale, Isco, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Dortmund won the second leg 2–0 on April 8, 2014 at Signal Iduna Park due to two goals from Reus. Despite the victory, the aggregate score of 2–3 saw Real Madrid advance instead of Borussia Dortmund.

Schalke 04
Schalke 04 finished in fourth place in the 2012–13 Bundesliga, which earned them a berth in the Champions League play-off round. The draw for the play-off round took place on August 9, 2013 and saw Schalke paired with Metalist Kharkiv. On August 14, 2013, however, Metalist were banned from UEFA competition. PAOK were chosen to replace Metalist in the play-off round and face Schalke. The first leg tie was played on August 21, 2013 at Veltins-Arena. It ended as a 1–1 draw with Jefferson Farfán scoring for Schalke. The second leg was played at Toumba Stadium on August 27, 2013 resulting in a 3–2 win for Schalke despite a red card for Jermaine Jones in the 64th minute. Julian Draxler scored one goal and Ádám Szalai scored two goals including the game winner which was scored in the 90th minute. The aggregate score of 4–3 saw Schalke advance to the group stage.

The draw for the group stage took place on August 29, 2013 and resulted in Schalke drawn into Group E along with Chelsea, Basel, and Steaua București. Schalke's first group stage match was on September 18, 2013 at Veltins-Arena against Steaua București. Schalke won the match 3–0 due to goals from Atsuto Uchida, Kevin-Prince Boateng, and Julian Draxler. On October 1, 2013, Schalke defeated Basel 1–0 at St. Jakob-Park due to a goal from Draxler. The first loss in the group came on October 22, 2013 to Chelsea at Veltins-Arena by a score of 0–3. Another 0–3 loss to Chelsea came on November 6, 2013 at Stamford Bridge. The winless streak continued on November 26, 2013 with a goalless draw to Steaua București at Arena Națională. The final group match was played on December 11, 2013 at Veltins-Arena against Basel. Two second half goals scored by Draxler and Joël Matip gave Schalke a 2–0 win over a Basel team reduced to ten men after a 31st minute red card for Ivan Ivanov. This win put Schalke two points above Basel in second place in the group therefore advancing to the round of 16.

The draw for the Round of 16 took place on December 16, 2013. Schalke 04 were drawn against Real Madrid. The first leg was played on February 26, 2014 at Veltins-Arena. Real Madrid won the match 6–1 with Schalke's only goal coming from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The second leg was played on March 18, 2014 at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Tim Hoogland scored for Schalke in the 31st minute, however Real Madrid won the match 3–1. The aggregate score of 2–9 saw Schalke eliminated from the competition.

Europa League
Three German clubs participated in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League. They were Eintracht Frankfurt, SC Freiburg, and VfB Stuttgart. Stuttgart was eliminated from the competition in the play-off round. Freiburg was eliminated after finishing third in their group during the group stage. Eintracht Frankfurt was eliminated the round of 32.

Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt finished 6th in the 2012–13 Bundesliga which earned a berth in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League play-off round. The draw for the play-off round took place on August 9, 2013 and resulted in Frankfurt being drawn against Qarabağ FK. The first leg took place on August 22, 2013 at Tofiq Bahramov Stadium. Frankfurt won the match 2–0 with both goals scored by Alexander Meier. The second leg was won by Frankfurt 2–1 on August 29, 2013 at Commerzbank-Arena. Meier and Takashi Inui both scored on goal in the match. The aggregate score of 4–1 moved Frankfurt on to the group stage.

The group-stage draw took place on August 30, 2013 and placed Frankfurt in Group F with APOEL, Bordeaux and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Frankfurt opened their group stage against Bordeaux on September 19, 2013 at Commerzbank-Arena. Goals from Václav Kadlec, Marco Russ and Constant Djakpa resulted in a 3–0 win for Frankfurt. Bordeaux were reduced to ten men in the 62nd minute when Lucas Orban received a red card, however Frankfurt did not extend their lead. On October 3, 2013, Frankfurt defeated APOEL 3–0 at GSP Stadium. The match's goals were scored by Srđan Lakić and Sebastian Jung along with an own goal from Nektarios Alexandrou. The win streak continued on October 24, 2013 against Maccabi Tel Aviv at Commerzbank-Arena. Kadlec scored in the 12th minute. Maccabi Tel Aviv was reduced to ten men after a red card for Tal Ben Haim in the 34th minute. Meier added another goal in the 53rd minute. The only loss of the group stage came on November 7, 2013 against Maccabi Tel Aviv at Bloomfield Stadium. Goals from Lakić and Meier were not enough as Frankfurt were defeated 2–4. The next game against Bordeaux on November 28, 2013 at Stade Chaban-Delmas was won by Frankfurt 1–0. The match's only goal was scored by Martin Lanig. This win and a draw by Maccabi Tel Aviv against APOEL made Frankfurt group winners with one match remaining. Frankfurt wrapped up the group stage with another win over APOEL on December 12, 2013 at Commerzbank-Arena. Goals from Stephan Schröck and Constant Djakpa led to a 2–0 victory for Frankfurt. The first-place finish in the group stage allowed Frankfurt to move on to the round of 32.

The draw for the Round of 32 took place on December 16, 2013. Eintracht Frankfurt were drawn against Porto. The first leg was played on February 20, 2014 at Estádio do Dragão. After trailing 0–2, a goal from Joselu in the 72nd minute and an own goal from Alex Sandro finished the match a 2–2 draw. The second leg was played on February 27, 2014 at Commerzbank-Arena. The match ended as a 3–3 draw. Stefan Aigner contributed one goal for Frankfurt and Meier scored the other two. Frankfurt were eliminated due to the away goals rule due to Porto having three away goals to Frankfurt's two.

SC Freiburg
SC Freiburg finished 5th in the 2012–13 Bundesliga which earned a berth in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League group stage. The group-stage draw took place on August 30, 2013 and placed Freiburg in Group H with Estoril, Sevilla, and Slovan Liberec. Freiburg started their group campaign with a 2–2 draw to Slovan Liberec on September 19, 2013 at Mage Solar Stadion. Julian Schuster scored a penalty kick and Admir Mehmedi scored the other goal for Freiburg. Karim Guédé of Freiburg earned a red card in the 77th minute and Serhiy Rybalka of Slovan Liberec earned a red card in at the 90+1 minute mark. The second matchday on October 3, 2013 ended with a 0–2 defeat to Sevilla at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium. Freiburg was reduced to ten men after Diagné Fallou earned a red card in the 62nd minute after which Sevilla scored both goals of the match. Freiburg earned their second point of the group stage via a 1–1 draw with Estoril on October 24, 2013 at Mage Solar Stadion. Vladimír Darida scored the goal for Freiburg in this match. The club remained winless after a goalless draw with Estoril on November 7, 2013 at Estádio António Coimbra da Mota. Two Freiburg players were sent off during the match: Nicolas Höfler in the 87th minute and Guédé in the 89th minute. The only win of the campaign came for Freiburg on November 28, 2013 against Slovan Liberec at Stadion u Nisy. Goals from Matthias Ginter and Francis Coquelin resulted in a 2–1 for Freiburg. The group stage ended with a 0–2 loss to Sevilla on December 12, 2013 at Mage Solar Stadion. This loss combined with a win by Slovan Liberec over Estoril left Freiburg in third place in the group and eliminated from the competition.

VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart were runners-up to Champions League qualified Bayern Munich in the 2012–13 DFB-Pokal therefore earning a berth in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round. The draw for the third qualifying round took place on July 19, 2013 and paired Stuttgart with Botev Plovdiv The first leg was played on August 1, 2013 at Lazur Stadium. The match ended in a 1–1 draw with Vedad Ibišević scoring Stuttgart's goal. The second leg ended as a goalless draw on August 8, 2013 at Comtech Arena. The aggregate score was tied 1–1. Via the away goals rule, Stuttgart advanced to the play-off round.

The play-off draw took place on August 9, 2013 and paired Stuttgart with Rijeka. The first leg was played at Stadion Kantrida on August 22, 2013. Despite a goal by Ibišević in the 89th minute the match ended as a 1–2 defeat for Stuttgart. The second leg saw one goal from Christian Gentner and an own goal from Luka Marić lead to a 2–2 draw on August 29, 2013 at Mercedes-Benz Arena. The aggregate score of 3–4 eliminated Stuttgart from the competition.

Managerial changes

 * Notes
 * 1) Announced on 16 January 2013.
 * 2) Announced on 15 May 2013.

Transfers

 * List of German football transfers summer 2013
 * List of German football transfers winter 2013–14

Deaths

 * 19 July 2013 – Bert Trautmann, 89, manager for Preußen Münster and SC Opel Rüsselsheim.
 * 2 August 2013 – Kurt Ehrmann, 91, forward for Karlsruher FV, VfB Mühlburg, and 1. FC Pforzheim who earned one cap for Germany.
 * 7 September 2013 – Wolfgang Frank, 62, striker for VfB Stuttgart, Eintracht Braunschweig, Borussia Dortmund, and others. He was also manager for 1. FSV Mainz 05, MSV Duisburg, Kickers Offenbach and others.
 * 15 March 2014 – Jürgen Kurbjuhn, 73, defender for Hamburger SV and member of 1962 West Germany World Cup squad.
 * 4 April 2014 – Klaus Meyer, 76, defender for Eintracht Braunschweig.
 * 1 May 2014 – Georg Stollenwerk, 83, midfielder for 1. FC Köln and member of 1958 West Germany World Cup squad.

Mid-season

 * Steve Cherundolo, 35, captain for Hannover 96 who won 87 caps for United States retired 19 March 2014.
 * Jens Wissing, 26, defender who made three Bundesliga appearances with Borussia Mönchengladbach and eleven 2. Bundesliga appearances for SC Paderborn 07 retired due to an ankle injury.

Post-season

 * Paul Freier, 34, midfielder for VfL Bochum and Bayer Leverkusen who earned 19 caps for Germany.
 * Levan Kobiashvili, 36, defender for Hertha BSC, Schalke 04 and SC Freiburg who earned 100 caps for Georgia.
 * Markus Krösche, 33, defender and captain for SC Paderborn 07.
 * Stefan Kühne, 33, captain for Preußen Münster who also played for FC Carl Zeiss Jena, Holstein Kiel, and 1. FSV Mainz 05.
 * Marcel Maltritz, 35, defender/midfielder for VfL Bochum, VfL Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV, and 1. FC Magdeburg.
 * Daniel Van Buyten, 36, defender for Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV.