Talking Fussball

It's a familiar sight at the top of the Bundesliga: FC Bayern are first, followed by Borussia Dortmund, followed by 16 other teams. It's early days, but as yet, Germany's two heavyweights are making a good case for being the class of the division again. Top guest Marie Schulte-Bockum joins Matt on the pod to talk through the duopoly's strong start, as well as how she's feeling about whether her beloved FC Schalke 04 are prepared to mount a credible campaign to stay in the top flight.

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The 2. Bundesliga kind of got a jump on Talking Fussball Extra crew this season. With three match days already in the books, we're joining the action mid-stream, and that means there's a lot to cover! Luckily Nik Wildhagen, Jasmine Baba, and Maik Krükemeier are back to fill you in on news in Germany's second tier and below. The trio share their picks for promotion, relegation, and more.

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The Bundesliga is back and so are we! The first TFD of the season takes you through the big storylines of the week - Bayern's bright start in the first league game of the post-Lewandowski era; Dortmund getting past Leverkusen in a clash of the title hopefuls...and then buying Anthony Modeste - as well as a word on each fixture. Matt also speaks with Kit Holden about 1. FC Union Berlin's fourth straight derby win over Hertha BSC, as well as his new book Scheisse! We're Going Up! (pre-order link), which tracks the Köpenick club's history from its beginnings in the DDR to its recent rise to 1. Bundesliga success in today's unified Germany.

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Nik Wildhagen and Terry Duffelen, author of Borussia Dortmund: A History in Black and Yellow are ready to put the lid on our three-part series on Borussia Dortmund.

Part three zooms in on a significantly more positive narrative than last week. Instead of a great fall, it's the story of BVB's rebirth under Jürgen Klopp. Listen in to hear how the former FSV Mainz 05 coach harnessed the club's passionate support off the pitch and established a progressive tactical framework on it to take the Schwarzgelben back to the top.

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Nik Wildhagen and Terry Duffelen, author of Borussia Dortmund: A History in Black and Yellow are back with part two of our three-part series on Borussia Dortmund!

We left off part one with BVB hoisting the UEFA Champions League trophy in 1997 - still the biggest title the club has ever won. It seemed like Dortmund might be on the verge of a period of dominance...until reality hit. A series of blunders on the transfer market, in managerial appointments, and at the boardroom level sent the club into a tailspin. Listen in for a story of a great fall.

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Here comes the first episode in a three-part series on Borussia Dortmund. Over the next three weeks Nik Wildhagen and Terry Duffelen, author of Borussia Dortmund: A History in Black and Yellow will walk you through a few pivotal phases in the history of a special club.

BVB enchants fans all over the world - with so many young stars playing attacking football in front of one of the greatest in-stadium atmosphere in sports, it's an easy club to fall for. It's a sporting and commercial powerhouse, and it's widely seen as the second force in German football (after the all-conquering FC Bayern München). But it wasn't always this way. BVB underwent a fundamental transformation in the 1990s, which brought a first Bundesliga title and a determination to play in the financial big leagues. As you'll hear, however, it wasn't all smooth sailing...

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What a season we've just put in the rearview mirror here on the Aufstieg edition. Wild scenes in the relegation playoffs, disappointing late-season collapses from SV Darmstadt and FC St. Pauli, and who could forget Markus Anfang's falsified vaccine passport? Nik and Jasmine certainly couldn't - and they've got plenty of other memories to share too, along with teams of the season.

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It's one of those special German things: Relegation playoffs pitting the third-best team in a lower division against the third-worst team from the division above. This time out, Hertha BSC staged a second-leg comeback to ensure they'd stay in the top flight at Hamburger Sport-Verein's expense, while in the lower-tiered clash, 1. FC Kaiserslautern exited the 3. Liga by beating SG Dynamo Dresden 2-0 away after a scoreless first leg at the Betzenberg. Listen in as Nik and Jasmine take you through the drama, as well as mull over what it means for Hertha to stay up, HSV to stay down, and for 'Lautern and Dresden to swap divisions....

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It was fun while it lasted for them, but Werder Bremen made it out of the 2. Liga after just one year. Hamburg may join them after their four-season stint, but they still have to knock off Hertha to seal the deal. Lost of other promotion and relegation drama across the lower leagues - Nik and the gang are here to wrap it all up in a bow.

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Well wasn't that a rousing way to end a season? VfB Stuttgart's last gasp winner (combined with BVB's late go-ahead goal) was enough to let the Swabians stay put in the top flight, and send Hertha BSC into the relegation play-off. Lots to discuss from MD34, as well as plenty to ponder about which teams can feel satisfied heading into the offseason. In fact, Matt and Terry sort out where all 18 teams stand on the satisfaction scale...

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