The Bundesliga Connection

Bayern Munich face an uphill when they take on Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on Tuesday night. PSG have three away goals to defend, and Bayern are still without star striker Robert Lewandowski. The current holders will need to win by at least two goals or score four away goals to secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Bayern will also be without highly rated Serge Gnabry, who tested positive for COVID-19 this week. PSG on the other hand will be missing defenders Marquinhos and Kurzawa which will leave them short-staffed in defense. PSG's attack will miss Mauro Icardi, but with Neymar & Mbappe fit, they will still cause problems for Bayern's defence.

Stream or download the latest episode of The SL Podcast's "The Bundesliga Connection" to catch DW Sports Correspondent Kres Harrington's breakdown.

It’s been four years since Germany last lifted a title, beating Chile at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. And while it’s been seven years since their last major title (The 2014 FIFA World Cup), it’s been even longer since they’ve won the UEFA Euro Championships, having last lifted the title in 1996. This tournament will also serve as German coach Joachim Löw last tournament in charge, who has already announced that he’ll be stepping down from the role regardless of the tournament’s outcome.

In the latest episode of the SL Podcast’s “The Bundesliga Connection”, German football expert & DW Sports Correspondent Kres Harrington breaks down the national side’s chances at the next Euros in June, where they’ll face stiff competition from the likes of the current world champions France, Belgium & more. In the full show, Harrington also discusses the rumoured reports of Borussia Dortmund placing a €180 Million price tag on star striker Erling Haaland.

The draw for the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals has set up some mouth-watering fixtures, with two of them featuring German sides. Current holders Bayern Munich will take on PSG in a rematch of last season’s final, while Borussia Dortmund will face Premier League title favourites Manchester City. Both fixtures are highly anticipated, as both PSG & Man City have never lifted the UCL trophy despite having a wealth of talent. Man City will be considered favourites in their tie against Borussia Dortmund, and Bundesliga expert Kres Harrington broke down why ‘BVB’ aren’t ready for the challenge based on current form.

Speaking on the SL Podcast’s “The Bundesliga Connection”, Harrington explains, “As far as Dortmund and Premier League leaders Manchester City, I think Dortmund are dead in the water. They make way too many mistakes to compete with the best. They haven’t shown, at least domestically, that they have the quality to compete with a team of that caliber.” In the full show, Harrington also breaks down Bayern’s tie with PSG and provides analysis for the latest round of Bundesliga fixtures. To stream or download the episode, use the player above.

With the recent announcement that Joachim Löw will resign from his role as Germany’s National Team Head Coach after the upcoming Euro Championships, there has been speculation as to who will take over from him. ‘Jogi’ Löw will bow out as a World Cup winner thanks to his side’s 2014 heroics and leaves with the best win percentage of any coach, emerging victorious 68.75% of the time. With Germany in need of a replacement after ‘Jogi’ steps down, several top German coaches have emerged as potential replacements including Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp & Bayern Munich’s Hansi Flick.

In the latest episode of the SL Podcast’s “The Bundesliga Connection”, DW Sports Correspondent & German football expert Kres Harrington highlights the major problem with the candidates which have been named, “All of the best German coaches have jobs already. Why would Hansi Flick leave Bayern Munich for a project? Jurgen Klopp is at Liverpool. Julian Nagelsman is at RB Leipzig. The one thing that’s on Germany’s side is time. Jogi Low only leaves after Euros.” In the full podcast, Harrington reacts to the latest round of Bundesliga action and more.

Following disappointing results in recent matches in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich bounced back against FC Koln, winning 5-1 thanks to braces from star striker Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry. Bayern had dropped points against Arminia Bielefeld in an entertaining 3-3 stalemate, as well as a 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. With pressure from RB Leipzig who are chasing Bayern in second place, they kept their composure to stay atop the leader board with a dominant display this past weekend.

In the latest episode of the SL Podcast’s “The Bundesliga Connection”, DW Sports Correspondent Kres Harrington breaks down the impressive performance, highlighting the return of Serge Gnabry & Thomas Mueller to the team. “Everything that needed to happen for Bayern to get their Bundesliga mojo back, happened in this match. Serge Gnabry came back, so did Thomas Mueller, Gnabry checked in at half-time, and netted two goals in four minutes. Thomas Müller - who leads the league in assists, handed Lewandowski his second goal”, Harrington says in his analysis.

For the full podcast, use the player above.

The 2020 FIFA Golden Boy winner Erling Haaland’s fine form continues after scoring a brace against a struggling Schalke, including an unbelievable acrobatic effort. Haaland has scored 17 goals in 13 matches in the Champions League. But it has come out that Haaland wants his new contract to be around €90 million for 5 years, which is €18 million per year. It is also well known that some of the biggest clubs in Europe, such as Manchester United and Real Madrid are trying to get his signature.

In the latest episode of the SL Podcast’s “The Bundesliga Connection'' show, DW sports correspondent Kres Harrington joins the show to discuss Erling Haaland's performances of recent weeks, proving why teams are salivating over him. Kres also discusses the latest round of the UEFA Champions League. For the full podcast, use the player above

The Champions League is back with the first round of 16 matches kicking off with RB Leipzig taking on Liverpool on a neutral pitch. But can a struggling Liverpool defeat second on the Bundesliga table Leipzig? Liverpool have only managed to win 2 of their last 5 games and due to a poor defensive record, one could say that “Liverpool are in a rut.”

In the latest episode of the SL Podcast’s “The Bundesliga Connection”, DW sports correspondent Kres Harrington provides an analysis of the champions league round of 16, featuring 4 Bundesliga teams. The first match sees RB Leipzig take on Liverpool. Borussia Dortmund takes on UEFA veterans Sevilla. Borussia Mönchengladbach faces Manchester City and the current title holders Bayern Munich face Lazio. Kres Harrington also talks about Bayern's transfer business.

While it has been suggested in football circles that Al Ahly Coach Pitso Mosimane is under fire in Egypt for his team's inconsistency in the league, it cannot be denied that he has still managed to accomplish quite a bit during his short time with the club so far. The team known as the “club of the century” are notoriously critical of their coaching staff, essentially expecting a win in every fixture, so while ‘Jingles’ might be under a bit of pressure from the ‘Red Devils’ hierarchy, South Africans will still celebrate his CAF Champions League triumph and managing to help Al Ahly reach the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals where they were recently knocked out by European champions Bayern Munich.

In the latest episode of the SL Podcast’s “The Bundesliga Connection”, DW sports correspondent Kres Harrington provides an analysis of the Club World Cup semi-final stating "obviously coach Pitso Mosimane is well-respected in South Africa and has managed to accomplish quite a bit in a short time with Al Ahly, so you have to salute the African champions for making it this far and competing but the match was totally dominated by Bayern". In the full podcast, Harrington also discusses Liverpool's trouble getting into Germany for their UEFA champions League round of 16 tie against RB Leipzig, Dortmund’s continued struggles, and more from the latest round of fixtures in the Bundesliga.

It can be argued that if German champions Bayern Munich were to strengthen their defence, that the side would be unstoppable this season and it seems as though they are making progress in their efforts to secure the signature of rival side RB Leipzig’s star centre-back Dayot Upamecano. Reports have emerged that last season's treble winners held secret meetings with the highly-rated young defender ahead of a potential move in the summer.

In the latest episode of the SL Podcast’s “The Bundesliga Connection” show, DW sports correspondent Kres Harrington joins the show to discuss a potential move from Bayern Munich for the in-demand defender’s signature as well as the latest round of Bundesliga fixtures. In the full podcast, Harrington also discusses Bayern's victory over Hoffenheim, Dortmund ending their winless streak & other news from Germany's first division.

Just two weeks ago the Bundesliga title race looked far more open with Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, and Bayer Leverkusen all jostling for the top spot while Borussia Dortmund followed not too far behind. Now, despite their defensive struggles, the defending champions have managed to open up a seven-point lead atop the Bundesliga standings and fans are beginning to question whether or not there is still a title race this season.

This past weekend saw Bayern 's closest competition each fail to earn three points, with Leipzig, Leverkusen and Dortmund all losing their fixtures allowing Bayern Munich to cruise to a dominant 4-0 victory over Schalke on Sunday which saw them extend their lead at the top. In the latest episode The SL Podcast’s “The Bundesliga Connection”, DW Sports Correspondent Kres Harrington discusses what the results mean for the title race moving forward. To listen to the full show used the player above.