Arjen Robben passed another career milestone on Friday, as the trip to Mainz was his 150th Bundesliga appearance. The Dutchman used the occasion to improve his already outsanding German top-flight stats, now amounting to 123 scorer points (81 goals, 42 assists). The Mainz clash has yielded a goal and an assist so far - congratulations Arjen!
Lahm v Mainz part 16
No-one has played as often against FSV Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga as Philipp Lahm. Friday evening brought a 16th career appearance for the FCB captain against the Rhinehesse outfit. It means Lahm has only failed to feature in five of Bayern's league encounters against Mainz.
Key dates in 2017/18 announced
On Friday the German FA (DFB) executive committee announced the key dates for the 2017/18 season. Bundesliga Matchday 1 will take place from 18 to 20 August 2017, a week after the first round proper of the DFB Cup from 11 to 14 August. The final Bundesliga matchday prior to the mid-season break takes place from 15 to 18 December 2017, although that's not the last of the football before the holidays as the DFB Cup last sixteen ties will be played on 19 and 20 December. The action resumes in 2018 on the relatively early date of 12 January with Bundesliga Matchday 18. The 34th and last round of Bundesliga fixtures is on 12 May 2018, with the DFB Cup final in Berlin a week later on 19 May.
Pilot project: Fourth sub in cup ties
The DFB executive committee approved another important resolution on Friday: effective immediately, all teams in the men's and women's DFB Cup competitions will be permitted a fourth substitute in matches that go to extra time. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has approved a DFB request to participate in an IFAB pilot project to this effect, with all clubs still involved in this season's competitions previously giving their consent to the request. The new regulation, conceived on player health and safety grounds, initially applies until the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
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