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The Bundesliga hasn’t been kind to us over the past two weeks, but for what it’s worth, I absolutely love the card on Matchday 32.

Midweek fixtures often have a bit of wildness to them, but I’m struggling to see a losing bet on the card for Tuesday or Wednesday. Here’s hoping I’m not just delusional.

Paderborn (+400) at Union Berlin (-155), Draw (+320)

In beating Koln on Saturday, Union all but secured their place in the Bundesliga next season, essentially negating the threat of relegation. We can thus expect a bit of a letdown from the Berlin outfit, which now has very little at stake over the final few matches.

The same can’t be said of Paderborn. Relegation is assured for the bottom-ranked club, but many of its players are playing for summer transfers in the hopes of staying in the Bundesliga. And manager Steffen Baumgart, who has been in charge of the club since 2017, will not let his side go down with a whimper.

Paderborn haven’t lost an away match since the resumption of play, drawing all three of their road fixtures while actually performing quite well. They were trounced by a motivated Bremen side on Saturday, but we can expect a bounce-back performance here; Union have yet to win at home since the restart, and they’ll likely enter this match lacking focus given the significance of Saturday’s victory. This has 0-0 or 1-1 written all over it.

Pick: Paderborn +0.75 (+105), Draw (+320)

Koln (+540) at Bayer Leverkusen (-220), Draw (+260)

Koln’s motivations are similar to those of Union. Alexander Wehrle’s side has been in a free fall since the season restart, and the club is likely desperate to simply put this campaign behind it. Koln have claimed just three points from six matches following the Bundesliga’s return – all through draws against bottom-six teams. They lost 4-2 and 3-1 in their two matches against clubs in the table’s top half.

That’s been a theme of the campaign for the Billy Goats, who have lost all four of their away matches against top-five sides by a combined score of 15-3. The timing couldn’t be much worse for a trip to BayArena, where Leverkusen have dominated clubs in the bottom half of the table this season.

Motivation shouldn’t be an issue for Peter Bosz’s side, either. Leverkusen are in the thick of the fight for a top-four finish and desperately need a strong end to the campaign to fend off Gladbach.

Pick: Leverkusen -1 (-135)

Hoffenheim (+150) at Augsburg (+170), Draw (+260)

Motivation has been a common theme in this article, but that’s to be expected late in the season. Augsburg essentially secured their top-flight status by beating Mainz on Sunday, alleviating the relegation concerns that had been their driving force down the stretch.

Hoffenheim, meanwhile, played far better against RB Leipzig than Friday’s scoreline suggested, peppering Peter Gulacsi’s goal with shots only to come away empty-handed. A Freiburg comeback against Wolfsburg kept Die Kraichgauer in sight of sixth place though, and they still have plenty to play for over these final few matches.

The visitors have been far better on the road than they have at home this season, and they’ll be boosted by the return of top scorer Andrej Kramaric to the starting lineup. Hoffenheim should be the decidedly more motivated side here, and the fresher club too after an extra two days off between matches. They’ve won four successive tilts at WWK Arena and are excellent value to make it five Wednesday. I’m doubling down here.

Pick: Hoffenheim PK (-115), Hoffenheim (+150)

Full card:

• Wolfsburg +0.5 (-135)
• Paderborn +0.75 (+105)
• Union/Paderborn draw (+320)
• Dortmund/Mainz over 3.5 (+105)
• Leverkusen -1 (-135)
• Hoffenheim PK (-115)
• Hoffenheim (+150)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

The statue of former Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall, who was forced to integrate his franchise in the early 1960s, was removed from outside of RFK Stadium on Friday morning.

Events DC, which is in charge of RFK Stadium, removed the statue.

Max Brown, the chairman of the Events DC board of directors, and Greg O’Dell, the president and CEO, released a joint statement explaining the removal.

“This symbol of a person who didn’t believe all men and women were created equal and who actually worked against integration is counter to all that we as people, a city, and nation represent,” the statement read. “We believe that injustice and inequality of all forms is reprehensible and we are firmly committed to confronting unequal treatment and working together toward healing our city and country.”

George Preston Marshall statute at RFK is being taken down this morning. Truck just arrived to haul it away. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/yQduC1eCU0

— Denise Rucker Krepp (@kdrkrepp) June 19, 2020

They also called the removal of the statue an “overdue step on the road to lasting equality and justice.”

• 

  Before and after. George Preston Marshall has left RFK and Hilleast. pic.twitter.com/nCp2GF7iHA

  — Denise Rucker Krepp (@kdrkrepp) June 19, 2020

  But Marshall resisted efforts and pressure to integrate his roster, becoming the last NFL owner to do so in 1962. Marshall once said he would sign African American players when the Harlem Globetrotters signed white players. The Redskins were the southernmost franchise, and Marshall had their marching band play “Dixie” on the field for 23 years. The NAACP protested against Marshall at a meeting of league owners in 1957 and once picketed outside his home.

  In the spring of 1961, Interior Secretary Stewart Udall started to apply pressure on Marshall to integrate his roster. Because the Redskins were going to begin play at D.C. Stadium on federally owned land that fall, Udall told Marshall that a 30-year lease would be revoked unless he added a black player. NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle later got involved in trying to persuade Marshall to relent. That December, Marshall drafted black running back and Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis with the first pick.

  However, it was later learned that Marshall had traded the selection to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for running back/wide receiver Bobby Mitchell, who became Washington’s first black player in 1962.

  D.C. Stadium was later renamed RFK Stadium; the Redskins moved to FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, in 1997.

  Marshall was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. He is also part of the Redskins’ Ring of Fame, and his name is adorned, along with other members’ names, inside the stadium. A section of seating at FedEx Field is named after Marshall. He is also included on their history wall, which is outside the locker room at their practice facility.

  “Once elected, nothing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s bylaws allows for the removal of a Hall member,” the institution said in a statement.

  Marshall was considered an innovative owner in other matters, proposing along with Chicago Bears owner George Halas that forward passing be allowed anywhere beyond the line of scrimmage. Marshall also embraced television in the 1950s, helping build the Redskins’ brand in the South far beyond Washington.

  The franchise’s nickname remains a point of controversy, with renewed pressure for it to be changed. The city would like the Redskins to build a new stadium in the District, but Mayor Muriel Bowser has said she wants the team to change its name.

  “It’s an obstacle for us locally, but it’s also an obstacle for the federal government who leases the land to us,” Bowser told Team 980 in a recent radio interview.

  The Redskins did not comment on the removal of Marshall’s statue, citing the fact that RFK is no longer under their control. Owner Dan Snyder gave all his employees the day off Friday in honor of Juneteenth.

The rebuild continues at Chelsea, as the club completed the signing of Timo Werner, it announced on Thursday.

Chelsea will pay RB Leipzig roughly €53 million for the German forward, according to James Olley of ESPN.

Werner, 24, will remain with Leipzig until the end of the Bundesliga season. Chelsea stated he’ll join his new teammates in July, meaning he won’t partake in the remainder of Leipzig’s Champions League campaign, which is slated to resume in August.

The deal is subject to the forward passing a medical, which has been delayed due to the travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am delighted to be signing for Chelsea, it is a very proud moment for me to be joining this great club,” Werner said. “I of course want to thank RB Leipzig, the club and the fans, for four fantastic years. You will forever be in my heart. I look forward to next season with my new teammates, my new manager, and of course the Chelsea fans. Together we have a very successful future ahead of us.”

Werner’s in the midst of a career season, with 32 goals and 13 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions; only Robert Lewandowski has more Bundesliga tallies this year.

“We are very excited that Timo Werner has chosen to join Chelsea. He is a player who was coveted all over Europe and it is no surprise, he has that rare mix of being young and exciting and yet established and proven,” Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said.

The Blues beat out the likes of Liverpool and Bayern Munich for Werner’s signature. Though Jurgen Klopp is a longstanding admirer of his compatriot, the soon-to-be Premier League champions reportedly never made an official offer despite the mutual admiration between the club and player.

That opened the door for Chelsea, who shifted gears from targeting Lyon’s Moussa Dembele when it became clear Werner was a realistic option, according to Olley.

The rising star is the second marquee signing for the west London outfit heading into the 2020-21 season, following February’s capture of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax. Werner gives manager Frank Lampard an impressive core of young attacking talent, as the German joins the likes of Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic at Stamford Bridge.

At the start of the week, Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Gerald McCoy did not know Opal Lee’s story. After a WebEx call with her earlier in the week, McCoy will walk 2.5 miles near his Oklahoma home on Friday as Lee continues her fight to make Juneteenth a national holiday.

Lee, 93, a retired school teacher, will begin her second walk from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., in the past four years on Friday in her attempt to get Juneteenth recognized.

McCoy took to Instagram on Thursday to challenge current and former teammates to get involved.