Talking Fussball

Looky there - it's Borussia Dortmund on top of the Bundesliga! Bayern's advance (and Dortmund's failure to) in the UEFA Champions League seemed like it might hold some eventual benefit for the Schwarzgelben, but boy did it come fast, setting up a mouth-watering Klassiker after the international break. Matt welcomes back Jake Payne of 50 Plus Döner for a chat about the shuffling of places in the race for Europe and the teams racing to beat the drop.....

"A St Pauli fan and a Werder Bremen fan walk into a HSV bar..." sounds like the start of a very particular type of German football joke, and is more or less the premise for this episode of Talking Fussball Extra. Nik and Maik clue you in on how the mighty Hamburger Sport-Verein ended up in the 2. Bundesliga, how they have managed to stay there so long, and how they hope to get out this season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every time the Revierderby comes around, you can always depend on a hard-fought game and a volcanic atmosphere - sometimes you get a brilliant game as well. So it was this past match day, as FC Schalke 04 underscored their recent resurgence by going toe to toe with Borussia Dortmund in the Revierderby. The Royal Blues may not have dazzled, but few would argue that their fight didn't merit a draw...

They're back! Nik is back from a well-earned break in the Oman sunshine and ready to preside over a lower division roundtable. Jasmine and Maik join him to give you the lowdown on Dieter Hecking's return to the touchline in Nürnberg, FC St. Pauli's resurgence, and much more from the 2. Liga and lower down the German football pyramid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1. FC Union Berlin had a chance to shake up the Bundesliga on MD22. The overachievers from Köpenick clawed their way back to the top of the table with a strong start to the back half of the season. Now all they had to do to hang on there was beat 10-years-running Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, away from home and on short rest. Gentle listener, that result was not on the cards...

How often has the Bundesliga seen a three-way tie at the top after 21 matches? Just a tiny handful times, and not once in the three-points-for-a-win era that started nearly 30 years ago. That's another reminder of what an unusually close title race we're having, and what a treat these last 13 games are likely to be. Listen in as Matt is joined by Marie Schulte-Bockum again to hear how we ended up in this unaccustomed place...

Borussia Dortmund have done nothing but win since the Bundesliga restart, which has put them back in the title mix, just three points back of FC Bayern München. It's a tight race between the two biggest clubs in the division, but both teams will be turning their attention to the UEFA Champions League this week as they take on Chelsea and PSG respectively. Union Berlin still may have something to say - they racked up another come-from-behind win this week, this time at RB Leipzig...

What a time to be alive - here we are into February and the top of the Bundesliga table is still something of a traffic jam! After Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund dispatched their opponents on Saturday afternoon, Bayern Munich actually needed to win away to Wolfsburg on Sunday to stay top. Matt and Terry talk over all the action at the top, all the static off the pitch surrounding Manuel Neuer's big vent, Gio Reyna's scoring tear, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices...

At last the German second tier has returned from its looooong break - one even longer that the big boys in the top flight. Plenty to talk about after a weekend of action there in the 2. Bundesliga, and plenty more to dissect from the rungs below as well. Nik Wildhagen is back with Jasmine and Maik to take it all in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Could 1. FC Union Berlin be on the verge of something truly magical? They brushed aside their cross-town rivals Hertha for the fifth derby on the trot and are now within one point of FC Bayern München. After the Rekordmeister limped through the English week with nothing but draws, there's a chance their season could end without (gasp!) the usual multi-trophy celebration...