A thriller of a 3-3 draw between title hopefuls Bayern München and RB Leipzig was the headline game on Match Day 10. With draws and losses for the rest of the top six, it was Bayer Leverkusen who walked away the big winners. Apart from Hertha that is - the Old Lady held on to bragging rights in the Berlin derby. As is becoming tradition, Kit Holden drops by to talk with Matt about the big game; Nik acts as referee. Finally, Karan Tejwani is here to talk about his new book Wings of Change: how the world's biggest energy drinks company made its mark in football.

Here we go again. While FC Bayern München's steely efficiency saw it through in Stuttgart, Dortmund fell prey to their old troubles with smaller sides. Matt and Nik chat about those two teams' fortunes on MD9, mull over how good Leipzig really is, consider next week's Berlin Derby, and sort through Schalke's multi-layered troubles.

Everyone knows who the two best strikers in the Bundesliga are - but who's the third? ANd more importantly, who's going to score the most points on Match Day 9? JT and Flo are here to walk you through the answer to that question as well as many many others. Listen and learn...

Just after it looked like the 2020 Golden Boy winner might have to stay home and quarantine, Erling Braut Haaland didn't just show up to play - he slayed. Four goals in a 5-2 win over Hertha Berlin sent Dortmund back into second, just a point back from Bayern, who had a surprisingly tough time against Werder. Matt and Nik talk the action at the top over, check in on the cellar dwellers, and hear a bit from this week's Patreon Deep Dive on VfB Stuttgart.

The international break is finally over and the Bundesliga is back ! There's unlimited transfers ahead of Match Day 8 so get stuck in! JT and Flo get you ready for action. For more advice for the entire pre-Winterpause period, head over to our Patreon page for a bonus TFF!

Here comes another peek behind the Patreon curtain folks - a little look at some of the wealth of bonus content you could have access to if you became a TF patron! First up Nik talks to Michael Wagg, author of The Turning Season, a book of reportage and cultural history that looks back on the pivotal 1989-90 DDR Oberliga season and the 30 years since. Truly a can't-miss interview. In the back half, you'll hear Nik and Vollraute Abroad podcaster Manuel Breuer dissect Broussia Mönchengladbach's performances thus far this season. A meaty chat with a true Foals expert, and a taste of what we're doing in all off the Deep Dive editions zooming in on a single team on Patreon!

On a weekend of high spirits, we got a Dortmund-Bayern game that lived up to its billing as a Klassiker. Five goals, chances galore, and a run of play that suggested the loser may have come out on top on another day. Matt and Nik talk it all over, along with the seven-goal epic that was Leverkusen-Gladbach, the strong showing from the two Berlin sides, and a puzzling power struggle in Wolfsburg.

Sometimes your absolutely nail it with your line-up...and sometimes your team is a bit of a shambles. Last week our panel was composed of one of each, as Flo's boys flew and JT's just didn't. Listen in as they look ahead to Match Day 7 and strategize a bit for the coming weeks as well.  

A week ahead of the game which is set to swallow German football (Dortmund vs. Bayern), Matt and Nik take a moment to peer at the fortunes of a few of the other teams near the top of the table after Match Day 6. Gladbach followed up their near-misses in Europe with a huge result over Leipzig, who still seemed a little zonked from their bad night at Old Trafford. Leverkusen are thinking big now that Lucas Alario is finally getting in gear, and Augsburg stayed on a positive path as well.  We also announce winners in our opening salvo of prize draws for our subscribers on Patreon. Listen in to find out the next chance to win!

We're thrilled with the response to our call for new subscribers to our Patreon page over the last week...and still we're hungry for more! Here comes a taste of some of the material we've been posting in recent days. Here are portions of two Deep Dives, long-form chats with journalists and podcasters who share intimate knowledge about one particular team. In the spotlight in this episode are Werder Bremen (with Christoph Bähr of the Weser Kurier) and FC St. Pauli (with Maik Krükemeier of the MillernTon pod). Enjoy...and consider becoming a patron!

Another mixed bag for Bundesliga sides in the Champions League. Bayern rolled as normal, Dortmund bounced back, Leipzig didn't show up, and Gladbach suffered more heartbreak. That's all well and good - but who among those sides' stars will be ready to suit up and play this weekend? JT and Flo have the answers...to the best of their knowledge.

Bayern and Dortmund breeze it; Leipzig and Gladbach endure tougher tests but show they're up to the task. Match Day five was a good day at the office for the Bundesliga's Champions League hopefuls. Matt and Nik get to the bottom of all that winning, and consult with Brian Sanders of the Hey Eintracht Frankfurt podcast to hear about the Eagles' first loss of the season.

No fewer than SIX Bundesliga sides were in European action this week, and that means fantasy managers will have to keep on their toes heading into Match Day 5. Listen in as JT and Flo help you sort out who's in, who's out, and how you might keep as many options open as you can!

What with the UEFA Champions League and Europa League getting started this week, perhaps we shouldn't have been surprised to see a bit of a low-wattage weekend. Four 1-1 draws and only one team scoring more than two goals made for a few less fireworks, but didn't dent our enthusiasm for this week's guest. Matt sat down with his old pal Kit Holden, who's been working the Union beat for Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper. He's got lots to say about the Köpenickers' solid start, as well as ideas about which German sides have the best chances to put a real dent into European competition this season. In the middle of the show, Nik Wildhagen talks to Christian Woop, who's just completed a study on how the German press cover RB Leipzig - hear more of that interview on our Patreon page!

Welcome back from the international break - if you don't recognize us, it's because the recent unlimited transfers period means our rosters have experienced a LOT of turnover. Not to worry though - JT and Flo are still in the house, dispensing the sage advice you've come to depend on. Find out where you should be spending your money in a week where a real rebuild is possible.

The Bundesliga took this past weekend off - Talking Fussball didn't. Most of the action is over on our Patreon page, where you can get a slew of bonus material. This edition is a taster of some of the material you can get over there. First up is an extract of Nik's interview with Marco Timmer, a Dutch journalist with lots to say about Mario Götze's move to PSV to work with Roger Schmidt. You can hear more from Timmer if you become a patron. In the back half, you'll hear a portion of the newest Talking Fussball Extra, a show where we stretch out and go in depth on big issues facing the German game. Here Nik talks to DW's Felix Tamsut about some of the implications of the grand plan for German football's future set out by fan group Unsere Kurve. You can hear the whole episode if you become a patron for as little as $3 a month.

Bundesliga fans witnessed a masterclass on Sunday when Robert Lewandowski scored all four in a wild 4-3 win for FC Bayern München over upstarts Hertha BSC. Both teams were among the most active on deadline day, with some surprising faces entering and exiting the buildings at Säbener Strasse and Olympiapark.  Listen in as Matt and Nik run through all of Monday's biggest moves, all the 4-0 stompings on Match Day 3, and much more.

Bundesliga fans were treated to a topsy-turvy match day last weekend - one which brought surprises and excitement...and a fiar bit of disappointment for Official Fantasy Bundesliga players. JT (73 points) and Flo (87 points) lick their wounds for a moment, then get down to the business of fixing things ahead of MD3. Listen in for all their tips as well as answers to your questions!

Bayern had a hell of a run these last 10 months, beating just about all comers - on match day two they got a taste of their own medicine. Hoffenheim took down the champs, and Augsburg did likewise to last season's runners up Dortmund. Matt and Nik talk all this over, as well as where Schalke and Mainz now stand as they look for new coaches after disastrous starts. (We get help in the latter case from kicker's Mainz beat writer Michael Ebert!) All that and a bunch more...

Opening weekend brought goals galore...and plenty of points for fantasy managers! JT and Flo are here to run through what worked, what didn't, and how you can find your own ace in the hole for Match Day 2.

If it's goals you're after, opening weekend in the Bundesliga was pretty dang satisfying. Bayern went ballistic, BVB unleashed the young lions...hell, even Hertha put up big numbers. Matt gets Nik WIldhagen on the line to talk over all the action, answer listener questions, as well as plug his new Historic Matchday Moments series over on the TF Patreon page. 

Maybe you're new to the Official Fantasy Bundesliga, maybe you're an addict of long standing. Either way, you're almost certain to learn something from this. Fantasy freaks James Thorogood and Flo Reinecke are back with tips galore on setting up your team for the 2020-21 Bundesliga season. This one's an extended player - enjoy!

Bayern's big win in the 2020 UEFA Champions League final was just a few weeks ago...but it's already time for them to start defending their Bundesliga title. Matt rounds up podcast veteran Abel Meszaros for an in-depth discussion of how nailed-on another title is for the Rekordmeister, which of last year's top four will challenge for top spot, which Traditionsverein could be in relegation trouble, and much more.

So Bayern went and made it a double with a win in the DFB Pokal Final, while Werder Bremen got out of their two-legged relegation playoff without a win...but a ticket to the top flight ride for another year. Matt gets together with podcast stalwarts Terry Duffelen and Nik Wildhagen for a wide-ranging chat about the future of fallen giants Bremen, Bayern's dominance (and whether it'll ever cease), and a host of other topics.

The 2019-20 Bundesliga season reached its conclusion this weekend with one more big surprise in store: Werder Bremen shot past Fortuna Düsseldorf to reach the relegation playoff.  Matt calls up Marie Schulte-Bockum for a chat about the relegation drama, as well as about he profound anger being expressed by fans of her club Schalke 04 as they head into the offseason.  He's also joined by Eva-Lotta Bohle of the 2. Bundesliga Podcast for a bit of a primer on her club Arminia Bielefeld. An extended version of the chat will appear on the Talking Fussball Patreon page.