Guten morgen to you all! It’s Freitag, and time for another visit to Leipzig. Season six has started reasonably well, but now will Nick and RB fair this week as they resume their European adventure and face some big games in the Bundesliga? Here’s Nick…

So far we’re managing to keep pace with the fraudulent Bayern Munich (KOTR’s words, not mine), so we’re not doing too badly.

We kick things off this week with a draw at third-placed Leverkusen, which isn’t the worst result in the world. However, Ziegner’s injury is frankly horrific, but Jesper Hedman isn’t complaining…

I recall Carrete from a couple of months on loan at Bilbao during which he never player, and let him join Hamburg, where hopefully he’ll get some Bundesliga experience.

Jena come back for a third time and take big bad Bjorn’s regen on loan…

Rainer Hannig returns to haunt us for BMG after just four minutes, but the Thai-phoon and a Gravesen penalty turn it around for half time. A second half brace from Clausen seals the deal and gets us back on track.

And when I say back on track, I mean for three days, after which we’re soundly beaten by a ruthless 1860 Munich, who’s win sees them swap places with us to send us down to fourth.

Europe provides an uplift, as Gravesen smashes in a free kick to cancel out Mikkel Beck’s opener for Rosenborg. The Iceman puts us ahead, and Clausen gets his seventh goal in five games as we take a control of the tie.

Manuel Neira is the latest to leave after making a handful of appearances, but we make a nice profit on the Chilean.

Maldini’s regen was another I was keeping tabs on, as were all the Serie A big boys unfortunately, and he opts for Parma, oh well.

Chemnitz put up a mighty fight in the cup, but we eventually get a winner from that man Clausen again. We were almost champed as you can see by the stats, but we’re through to face Cologne in last eight.

Bochum steal yet more points from us, as we can’t find a way through their stubborn defence including Marcel Desailly and an inspired Uwe Gospodarek between the sticks.

We waste several early chances at Dortmund, but it’s a goalless first half. We absolutely batter them in the second and have a goal disallowed, but we’re made to pay for our wastefulness once again as we concede from a late set piece.

A solitary iceman strike is enough to give us a narrow second leg win over Rosenborg and send us through to the next round, where we’ll face Fiorentina.

I reluctantly let Wrighty Jr join Wolves. It might be a decision I live to rue, but the squad is filling up, and he’s just sat there not playing.

Im hoping to give Bielefeld a good mauling in front of our home crowd, but it’s actually them who do it us (sort of), and it’s more dropped points against lowly opposition.

After no league win in three games, I cheer myself up by signing Predrag Mijatovic’s regen. I wanted to buy him but he wanted £10k a week, so I’ll have to make do with a loan for the time being…

Things seem to pick up at Karlsruhe, with a goal from either wing and two from the front man in form. That’s more like it, boys!

And we follow up one good win with another, frying Freiburg in their own back yard as Leónidas and Clausen are both on the score sheet once again, with the Ice Man joining the party later on.

Back to Europe, and I’m pleasantly surprised by how well we play in Florence, as Bäumer and Leónidas give us two away goals and a slender lead to take into the second leg against the Viola.

We’re quick out the blocks against Schalke, as The Ice Man gives us a the lead, and Mijatovic Jr wastes little time in scoring on his debut. But Schalke come good in the second half as they so often do, and steal a point. I hate them.

It’s another bright start at Hamburg as we lead despite the early setback of Lieftink’s red card, but a Baumgart hat trick puts us in our place. Let’s hope Leónidas’ injury isn’t a bad one.

It’s all about the first half against Cologne. Penksa and Clausen get the ball rolling, and Ezquerro cashes in on Leónidas’ misfortune with a goal after the Brazilian’s injury midweek.

Last up this week is the second leg with Fiorentina, which I’m disappointed to say is an absolute horror show. Future Blackburn legend Corrado Grabbi converts their first meaningful chance, and we’re dead and buried just past half an hour. Gutted.

So after another week of fun and games, we sit fifth, which isn’t terrible, but we’ve been unable to get any consistent form or a good run going so far. We’re still in the cup with a seemingly favourable draw though, so there’s still reason to be optimistic.

So that’s it for this woch, but be sure to come back next time for the climax of the season, as we face seven of the top ten teams in the table, and host Cologne in that cup quarter-final. Auf Wiedersehen, pets.