this will mean he is certain to miss the games against Leverkusen and Stuttgart as well as the away Europa league tie in Azerbaijan against FC Qarabag, but should be available for the 3rd Bundesliga game against Wolfsburg.

and Lewandowski and Mario Goetze are set to fight it out to replace Kuba on the right.

A striker while not the most prolific was best known for his work ethic and effort amongst fans and for it was given much understanding and support. but given the arrival of long term target of BVB Robert Lewandowski .

Valdez had seen his future and place in the team at risk and with him not being guaranteed first team football , it was decided by all parties that should a fair offer come along it would be accepted and should he agree terms , he would be allowed to leave.

PD wish Nelson all the best for the future

Lucas Barrios - Paraguay
Nelson Valdez - Paraguay
Neven Subotic - Serbia

we all say

Срећно! , Buena suerte! , Viel Glück! and Good Luck

in general when following a team like BVB when living outside of germany you can at times find yourself .. in the lonely minority in who you support, especially when it comes to things like deciding what games to go to it may hit you with problems like "well i cant find anyone to go with", or "im not sure where is the best place to stay while there" .. "wait ill ask google" ... and after the long drawn out fuss days of research you can easily change you mind and settle for a night in front of the tv and live games that way.

and while many clubs do offer travel advice to international fans for attending games, it isn't always easy if german in this case is not your first language or one you at this point dont grasp very well.

but here at planet dortmund what we have found as well as having people from all over the world as members there quite a few based around each other in scotland and the uk, this location proximity proved to be an advantage with recent trips to see BVB.
as many were planned and organized by various fanclub and board members and this made the logistics and travel organization a whole lot easier.

with many members pooling together thoughts for visits and setting out what games they want to see and deciding as a "group" then arranging tickets(thanks joerg) and organizing transport plans together to get to and from germany , by arranging car pools and mini bus pools and designated drivers (thanks kenny).

doing it this way  , planet dortmund was also able to help arrange plans for first time visitors who were fans to see the team play in regards to ticketing while still going as a group.

the planning of trips didn't end just getting there , while in dortmund places to stay and finding things to do on and or after game days was made easier by having close local advice and links courtesy of members chris and joerg who helped act on more than one occasion as local guides ,

all people involved in planning and organizing planet dortmund football experiences have made supporting the team and being able to attend games a whole lot more easier and enjoyable and made it a much less stressful thing to do to support the team you love from far far away.

so with that insight , a thanks to everyone involved including dunc who first set up planet dortmund many moons ago , and all members not mentioned who contribute to planet dortmund on a day to day basis ..

and for the curious who want to know more come visit us all at planetdortmund.net or find and follow us on facebook as planet dortmund supporters club

who will come in ... more than just prospective talent for BVB II ?
who will leave ....?

again so far the obvious rumour is Robert Lewandowski to come .. and this seems to have progress this time around to more then gossip with Zorc actually admitting interest and confirming BVB want him ... with a deal possibly set for the summer,  with the only stumbling block being possible interest from the money pit that is the EPL,  and the mega buck wage packet they can throw at a player,  will Lewandowski choose style over overindulgent substance and choose to play for BVB

Only time will tell well more specifically hte end of the summer will and how much BVB are willing to splash out on the Pole with the fee rumoured to be around five million euros for the striker.

and to make way for the player there is the sounds from the Nelson Valdez camp as the player recently said in a n interview for Bild he is considering looking at his options in the summer as he wants more playing time than he currently has at the moment , will Valdez call time on a BVB career that has for a striker been somewhat fruitless in goals since his move from Bremen in 2006 ,and while the players overall contribution and effort  has been welcomed by the club maybe a fresh start will do the players strike rate the world of good , who knows.

another player constantly linked with a move away from the club is central defender Neven Subotic who has attracted the gossip columns of many a tabloid newspaper linking him with a big money move to .. you guessed it the EPL with transfer fees of 20 million euros being thrown around, but to the players credit he has consistenly said he wants to stay with BVB and while that may be his intention , the lure of a big money offer may be when and if the time comes could prove too much for the club to resist then its a case of the player himself deciding where his future lies.

With european football next year a distinct possibility BVB will be have to strengthen the squad in depth and quality but how much on how many depends on how well BVB can and are willing to invest as their budget is not expected to be that big .

so really much may depend on Zorc and whether he can unearth a few gems for not a large amount or if he can snap up some good quality free agents who will add to the team not jsut in numbers , the players are out there.. he will just have to look where, or maybe he should just visit many a BVB forum and let them do the scouting for him .. but unlike years past in the summer transfer market.. this one is expected to be a somewhat busier one than normal.

This can all be attributed to one Jurgen Klopp the coach who in since coming from Mainz has instilled a sense of camaraderie and team ethic that has not only given the team and players confidence but has seen too each player playing with trust and belief in the tactics and decisions of the coach.

It is this style of play that BVB will take with them when they travel to Mainz on Saturday to play against the very club in which Klopp first demonstrated and tried out this style of coaching and play.

While now Mainz are under new tutelage of Thomas Tuchel  it had been a good start to the season for them they have been difficult to break down at home this season, which is why any visiting team has found it hard to go there and get a result but come the second half of the season their form has tailed off and they have struggled to recreate early form, and one loss to them is sure to be their midfield lynch pin Andreas Ivanschitz who is out for the next 3 games due to suspension.

BVB on the other hand are again at full strength minus Kehl who is set to miss the rest of the season, but will be with their leading goalscorer Barrios who came through a midweek injury scare he is set to start as the lone striker , with Sahin set to partner Bender in the defensive midfield position , with Kuba , Grosskreutz and Zidan forming the rest of the midfield.

it will be an interesting game maybe an emotional one for Klopp where the home fans are sure to give him a warm welcome but the sentiment will stop the moment the game starts where it is every coach player and fan or themselves , will Mainz upset the BVB apple cart or will BVB roll over Mainz on the way to fighting to secure that European spot.

The starting line ups are set to be  as follows :

1. FSV Mainz 05: Müller - Zabavnik, Svensson, Noveski, Fathi - Polanski, Karhan, Soto - Schürrle, Trojan - Bancé.

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller - Owomoyela, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Bender, Sahin - Kuba, Zidan, Großkreutz - Barrios.

Kick off - 15.30 (cet) 14:30 (gmt)

Referee : Deniz Aytekin (Oberasbach).

He has suffered a bad bruise only to his calf and thus he should be fit to play against Mainz.

The news on Kehl though is a little more fearful as his injury diagnosis is set to rule him out for at least 3 to 4 weeks , this is a huge personal blow to Kehl as he has only recently just come back from a nine month injury break, and this latest setback looks set to rule him out for the rest of the season as his participation in the last game against Freiburg looks very doubtful.

Both sides go into the game not shy of the ability and firepower to score goals in Pizarro and Barrios being in hot form, but those 2 are likely to come up against 2 of the  most consistent solid keepers in Weidenfeller (BVB) and Wiese (Bremen) , both of whom have show on more than one occasion they are capable of keeping their sides in the hunt for a game making their goals at times impenetrable.

European football again will prove to be the incentive reward for both teams as up for grabs is the possibility of a Champions League spot but more immediately a Europa League spot , BVB lay in 4th place on 49 points and Bremen in 5th on 48 , so a win or loss for either side will prove equally as consequential come the end of the season when final positions determine what team may play in which european competition, but a point and a draw for either side would put each team that little further away from Hamburg who are in 6th place on 44 points.

Squad line ups is where BVB have a slight advantage in that they have available to them a Full Strength line up of players to choose from , with the only missing player being LeTallec , whereas Bremen will be missing ex BVB star and their captain Torsten Frings out due to a suspension also missing is German international Tim Borowski , for them 2 defensive midfield lynch pins , and this is where maybe BVB will look to take advantage and press on this to their gain and hopefully give the home fans 3 points , and something to cheer about and most importantly push themselves that bit closer to europe next season.

the starting line ups for both teams are expected as follows :

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller - Owomoyela, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Kehl, Sahin - Kuba, Zidan, Großkreutz - Barrios

Werder Bremen: Wiese - Fritz, Mertesacker, Naldo, Boenisch - Bargfrede, Jensen - Marin, Özil, Hunt - Pizarro

the referee for the game will be Babak Rafati (Hannover)

kick off : 15:30 CET , 14:30 GMT

The large BVB support is bound to upset the balance in the stadium and the away fans will look to be as vocal  in support as they can to push on their own team hopefully towards a victory.

Both sides go into this game on the back of big wins against top 10 opposition BVB last week thumped Leverkusen 3-0 and Hertha thumped last years champions Wolfsburg 5-1, but Hertha will be looking for only their 2nd win at home this season while BVB will be looking to do the double over Hertha having won the reverse fixture 2-0 eariler in the season.

Current form would suggest a BVB win with goals from Barrios who indecently was one of the 2 scorers form the last encounter of these 2 teams Sahin being the other , but against a team fighting for their Bundesliga status ,  BVB will know it is their game to win and not the oppositions to lose,.

The staffing situation for BVB shows them with a near full strength squad with the only missing players being Hummels, Tinga, LeTallec and Valdez all to short to mid term injuries

Hertha in turn too will have a near full strength squad with their only missing player being BVB loanee Kringe.

The starting elevens for both sides are expected to be as follows :

Hertha Berlin: Drobny - Piszczek, Frederick, Hubnik, Kobiashvili - Lustenberger - Kacar, Cicero - Raffael - Ramos, Gekas.

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller - Owomoyela, Subotic, Santana, Schmelzer - Kehl, Sahin - Cuba, Zidan, Großkreutz - Barrios.

Kick off is 15:30 CET and 14:30 GMT