Recent seasons have not always been kind to Germany's northern Traditionsvereine, but their luck may be changing in the 2. Liga. Take a glance at the table and you'll find the two Hamburg clubs in first and second, followed closely by Hannover 96 and Holstein Kiel. What's behind all the success? Find out as Nik and Maik (northerners both) talk you through all the top storylines from Germany's non-top-flight football leagues...

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Talking Fussball Aufstieg - Hamburg has the 2. Liga in its grip as St. Pauli and HSV top the table

Blanketing the Bundesliga and the German football scene, Talking Fussball is the essential podcast for fans of Europe's most exciting league - talkingfussball.com - @talkingfussball - patreon.com/talkingfussball Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talking-fussball/support

Sports

Soccer

Just three games left in the 2. Bundesliga season and precisely nothing has been decided thus far. FC St. Pauli have the inside track on promotion, but would be glad to seal their not-yet-assured promotion with a win away to their old rivals HSV. Nik and the gang (both Jasmine and Maik this time) weigh up the promotion race, watch the coaching carousel go by, and remark on the return of Max Kruse to the football pitch at the amateur level in Berlin.

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Talking Fussball Aufstieg - St. Pauli hoping for a big payoff from the derby at HSV

It is just us or can you feel a fresh wind blowing through the Bundesliga? Leverkusen's title win last week was restorative on the home front; this week FC Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund helped the league show out across Europe. Matt and Nik revel in the good vibes, as well as check in on the teams battling to beat the drop...and the one that isn't battling much at all!

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Talking Fussball - The Bundesliga's best make it big in Europe

Unlike the top flight, where Bayer 04 Leverkusen ran away with the title (congrats, Werkself fans!), the race at the top of the 2. Bundesliga has taken a turn for the thrilling in recent weeks. Serial league leaders FC St. Pauli have had a wobble, and Holstein Kiel (and increasingly Fortuna Düsseldorf) have been ready to take advantage. Nik and Jasmine talk through the permutations involved in the last five match days, check in on the races at the bottom of the division and the top of the 3. Liga, and much more. 

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Talking Fussball Aufstieg - Kiel feeling themselves after leapfrogging St. Pauli for top spot

We were trying to play it cool for a while, but that no longer seems necessary. Bayer 04 Leverkusen are going to win the league, and after FC Bayern München lost in Heidenheim(!), they might well do it next week. Matt and Nik let that reality sink in over the course of the podcast, discussing how Bayer's season stacks up in history, where Bayern goes from here, and what way the three-team relegation death match at the bottom of the table is likely to go.

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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talking-fussball/support

Talking Fussball - Leverkusen all but crowned champions after another Bayern blackout

The world of football, like other walks of life, harbors its share of idiots - our latest episode puts the spotlight on a few. Nik and Maik turn their attention to some childish behavior surrounding a banner, some regrettable chants in Austria that's had consequences for the players who shouted them, and how a few particularly egregious fans' behavior called off a whole weekend of football. 

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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talking-fussball/support

Talking Fussball Aufstieg - Hamburg has the 2. Liga in its grip as St. Pauli and HSV top the table

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