Bundesliga Fanatic Podcast

On this episode we review the goal laden matchday 26 and look ahead to the DFB Cup semi finals midweek.  We start off with Bayern's big win against Hertha Berlin where we can safely proclaim them to be back to their best this season but how long will that last and can they keep that up through three different competitions?  We also look to Dortmund's important win against Bremen to stay ahead of the rejuvenated Bayern and discuss whether Schalke can leapfrog Gladbach to third.  Also, what makes Hannover tick after they set a new club record for most consecutive home matches unbeaten?  Further down the table the relegation battle is slowly coming to a boil with Freiburg and Augsburg picking up important wins, putting added pressure on Hertha, Kaiserslautern and a faltering Hamburg.  Can Hamburg stay up with the worst home record when the last 13 seasons saw the team with the worst home recored relegated?

In our second segment we preview the two big semi finals in the German Cup.  Can Greuther Fürth upset Borussia Dortmund when the best team in the 2. Bundesliga meets the best team from the Bundesliga?  A lot is at stake for Fürth including a historic European spot should they make the final.  What do Dortmund need to do to get past them?  And are Bayern finally going to break their Gladbach duck or will Patrick Herrmann's potential return spoil Bayern's treble dreams.  We also answer some of the questions we received on twitter at the end.

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On episode 44, we review matchday 25 and preview the upcoming European fixtures. This week we are joined by Tobias Escher from German tactics blog spielverlagerung.de for his insight and tactical expertise.  We start off with Bayern's emphatic win over Hoffenheim.  Are they back to their best after that display or did Hoffenheim's reshuffling flatter them?   Dortmund also had their lead over Bayern narrowed by 5 points as a result of Augsburg's resolute performance. We analyze how Augsburg man marked Dortmund out of the game and got one of the biggest surprise results of the round.  We also take a look at Köln's big win over Hertha and some of the backroom drama involving Finke and Solbakken as well as the two Sunday matches between Bremen/Hannover and Schalke/Hamburg.

In our second segment we take a look at what is arguably turning out to be Bayern's biggest match of the season.  Their game against Basel is make or break this year and could impact the future of Heynckes and the rest of the club.  Do they have what it takes to get by Basel or is it goodbye from Europe once more?  Also, do Schalke stand a chance of advancing against Twente after a poor refereeing decision put them 1-0 behind in the first leg? And can we potentially look forward to a reality where Hannover is the last remaining German side in European competitions?

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On this episode we review matchday 24 and look ahead to Bundesliga clubs in European competition this week.  In our first segment we discuss Dortmund's increasing lead atop the table.  Their unbeaten run was stretched to 18 matches with a win against Mainz while Bayern, Schalke and Gladbach all failed to keep up. Can they make up Dortmund's lead and is Bayern's crisis avertable? Also, is Gladbach's lack of depth finally catching up to them?  We also take a look at Leverkusen and Stuttgart's recent upturn in form and discuss the potential of Freiburg, Kaiserslautern and Augsburg to stay up.

In our second segment we look at Leverkusen's seemingly inevitable elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Barcelona and ask how Dutt should approach this game to make it a respectable tie.  Do they have anything to lose and can they get a result at the Nou Camp at all?  Also, are Hannover and Schalke in danger in the Europa League?  Hannover travel to Belgium to Liege where they lost 2-0 in the group stages while Schalke's increasingly poor away form could cost them against an in form Twente.

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