So you thought all was well up in Hamburg? Think again. Despite rounding out the pre-World Cup part of the season with a big win, a couple of negative stories emerged to rain on their parade. Meanwhile, down in Fürth, helter-skelter football merchant Alexander Zorniger has led the Kleeblätter on a real tear. Listen in as Nik, Jasmine and Maik lead you through all those stories and more from the 2. Liga and the lower leagues in Germany... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a roller coaster of a first almost-half of the season, we're back to where we started. FC Bayern München are top of the league and in the kind of form that should make the rest of the league quiver. Still, plenty of intrigue just a little below: SC Freiburg proved they are the darkest horse in the title picture, hammering 1. FC Union Berlin, and RB Leipzig head into the winter break with all kinds of wind in their sails. All that and more as Matt and Marie take stock in the state of the league ahead of that one tournament in Qatar... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A mighty entertaining weekend in the 2. Bundesliga - league leaders SV Darmstadt dropped points to St. Pauli, while Hamburg shook off the poor form of recent weeks to come back and beat SC Paderborn. Nik, Maik and Jasmine talk the chaos over (including a new chaos-bringer on the job ion Fürth), before moving on to stories from the lower leagues and a tantalizing ground-hopping recommendation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Another week, another piece of evidence that 1. FC Union Berlin might well mean business about this title challenge thing. They went down early to an up-for-it Borussia Mönchengladbach side, but showed resilience and adaptability to eke out a win. Will it be enough to hold off the Rekordmeister? FC Bayern München have had an uneven start to the season but reminded everyone just how much firepower they've got by hanging a 6-2 result on FSV Mainz 05, heretofore one of the league's best defenses. Matt calls up Ronan Murphy for a chat about all that, VAR trouble in Frankfurt and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Red Bull, the energy drink brand that sponsors football clubs across the world, lost its co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz this week, so we felt it might be a good time to look at the company's legacy. Nik calls up Jasmine for a chat about RB's rise over the last 35 years, the brand's big investment in German football, and how the RB coaching tree has influenced tactics across Europe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices