Germany will have to prove its mettle this week…
According to a report from Sport Bild (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich will lob its first proposal to Florian Wirtz next month:
Florian Wirtz is expected to respond to Leverkusen’s contract offer by the beginning of April. Leverkusen are offering him a new deal until 2028 with a release clause of around €125m valid from 2026. Should he decide to leave this summer, the asking price is at least €150m.
Nevertheless, Wirtz and his parents see summer 2026 after the World Cup as the best time to take the next step to a top club. Therefore, Leverkusen still have the best chances of keeping the player next season.
The poker game between Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, and the Wirtz family is going to be serious, but given the extensive history between Uli Hoeneß and the Wirtz clan, will they be showing each other their cards, while Leverkusen is left waiting for the flop?
Or…is Bayern Munich going to go all-in too early, crash out, and need to build its bankroll back up for 2026?
While the ambition seems to be there from Bayern Munich to get some new attacking blood infused into its lineup, it does look like it will be a difficult operation to perform. Aside of the financial burden of potentially having to pony up as much as €150 million, Bayern Munich will have to convince Bayer Leverkusen that now is the time to sell and also persuade the Wirtz family on making the move this summer.
It will not be easy — but nothing ever is during a high stakes game like this.
Bavarian Podcast Works — The Bundesliga Rundown with Marcus Iredahl: Matchday 26
Matchday 26 had it all—last-minute drama, shock results, and fan protests! In this episode, we dive into:
- Can Bayer Leverkusen finally dethrone Bayern Munich?
- FC Augsburg’s record-breaking defence.
- Eintracht Frankfurt’s ultras and the 50-minute delay in Bochum.
- …and much more!
Song of the Midweek: “Ball and Chain” by Social Distortion
Man…1990.
As we were unexpectedly awaiting the rise of grunge, there were wild developments happening in music. Heavy metal was beginning its fade, glam rock (hair bands) were in a rapid descent, general rock bands and artists were transitioning to being considered classic rock…it was quite the time.
Punk was still on the periphery, but morphing more into an alt-rock vibe, which pushed a cowpunk-sounding band like Social Distortion into the alt rock mix. While not the traditional alt rockers, Social Distortion needed to be grouped somewhere in that era of music, so shows like 120 Minutes on MTV were just about the only places to hear them unless you were lucky enough to have a good radio station in your town.
Anyway, enough of a trip down memory lane — here is “Ball and Chain” by Social Distortion. Enjoy:
The Unfortunate Truth for Luka Dončić
After bolting Germany to kickstart his international break, Canada international Alphonso Davies took a moment to take in a Los Angeles Lakers game. We presume this X post below was from Monday night against the San Antonio Spurs.
After the game, though, Davies was on a mission — he wanted to exchange jerseys with Lakers megastar Luka Dončić. Davies got his wish, but had to deal with one awkward question from the NBA star:
Luka Dončić: ‘You coming to Madrid? I’ll give you this jersey if you’re coming to Madrid’
Alphonso Davies: ‘Ahhh, it doesn’t look like it’
@Lakers
pic.twitter.com/5l0tpK2aal— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) March 19, 2025
You can’t knock Dončić for not keeping up with Davies’ contract situation as he has had some things to deal with of his own. Regardless, if you are wondering if the NBA’s second best player (behind Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić) is a Real Madrid honk, well, Dončić is not exactly a front runner, as he started his career with the club’s basketball team.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 7, Episode 34
Bayern Munich sputtered into the international break with an unexpected 1-1 draw on the road with Union Berlin.
We’ll talk about that and some of the other burning issues going on with the Bavarians at the moment. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show:
- Why did Bayern Munich look so unfocused and fall apart against Union Berlin? Let’s discuss.
- It’s not time to worry about Jonas Urbig.
- Why is Vincent Kompany still so reluctant to rotate?
- Leroy Sané’s last minute rush for a new contract is upon us.
- Eric Dier could get a new deal, but it still feels unlikely.
- Who from Bayern Munich is unsellable?
- Oh yeah, it’s a race again.
Entertainment Rundown
There has not been much progress on anything as of yet from a watch standpoint for (but there should be for Friday’s Weekend Warm-up), but I did want to pass along the trailer below.
Happy Gilmore 2
The trailer is out:
Predictions
UEFA Nations League
This is such a crucial time for the German national team.
Playing without Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz, and Marc-André ter Stegen among others, Julian Nagelsmann is going to have to get creative — and probably lean very heavily on Jamal Musiala.
While the squad will have plenty of veterans involved, this is — no doubt — Musiala’s moment to prove that he is capable of carrying the attack. Surely, Italy will make life very difficult on the Bayern Munich star, so Musiala will have to play the role of scorer and creator, while staying on his feet (Italy will surely be looking to introduce Musiala to the ground as much as possible).
It will not be easy and with a defense that can be beat, the pressure to perform will be there. Aside of all of that, it is a fascinating battle between two very solid teams, who are aiming to make major noise at the 2026 World Cup. By the time that happens, these two squads will probably look different, but it does not mean that this tie is not an important step for both.
Leg one will see no one seize the moment to take an advantage, which will set up a massive showdown on Sunday at Westfalenstadion.
Prediction: Italy 2-2 Germany
Other UEFA Nations League predictions include:
- Türkiye 2-1 Hungary
- Armenia 0-2 Georgia
- Croatia 1-3 France
- Netherlands 1-2 Spain
- Denmark 0-3 Portugal
- Ukraine 0-2 Belgium
- Austria 2-1 Serbia
- Greece 2-1 Scotland
- Slovakia 2-1 Slovenia
- Kosovo 1-0 Iceland
- Bulgaria 0-1 Ireland
Bavarian Podcast Works — Special Edition: Breaking down the German national team’s call-up list
Former Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann selected his German national team squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League quarterfinals tie with Italy.
With so many injuries and illnesses to deal with, Nagelsmann probably had to operate a bit outside his comfort zone with some of his selections, but — in the end — came up with the concoction that he thinks will best position the German national team for success against a very solid side from Italy.
This is what we have on tap for this Special Edition episode of Bavarian Podcast Works:
- A reaction to the Bayern Munich selections on the squad.
- Commentary on each position group.
- Some final takeaways on the selections and what to expect.
