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Andreas Herzog is well known in the Bundesliga. In almost ten years, he played in 264 Bundesliga games, scoring 59 goals. Almost the whole time, he played for Werder Bremen. The only time he played for another Bundesliga team was the 1995-1996 season, when he played for FC Bayern.

Herzog has been Assistant Manager of the Austrian national team since January 2006, and is now busy getting ready for the upcoming EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.

bundesliga.de speaks with Herzog, who talks about "his" Bremen team, predicts the Bundesliga champion and which place other teams will have at the end of the season.

bundesliga.de: Mr. Herzog, as a one-time Bundesliga great, you of course keep an on on the league. How do you evaluate the current situation in the Bundesliga?

Herzog: FC Bayern will win the title. The competition just aren't consistent enough to take advantage of Bayern's mistakes. Bayern are the only team that haven't lost any important games all season long. And that's why they're going to win the title.

bundesliga.de: As an former Bremen player, does it bother you to see how Werder have wasted their chances to win the title?

Herzog: I was surprised that Werder were in second place despite all the mistake they made. Now they have to take care that they don't squander a fine season.

bundesliga.de: Why should that happen now of all times, when the team finally healthy is?

Herzog: I also wonder why. You just shouldn't lose games like the one against MSV Duisburg is you want to qualify for the Champions League. But the same is true for Schalke, Leverkusen and Hamburg. You shouldn't give up any points to teams in danger of relegation.

bundesliga.de: In the first half of the season, Werder lost just one home game. But since the winter break they've lost three. How can you explain that?

Herzog: It's hard to say. Of course it's been a trying season for Bremen, with important players like Torsten Frings, Tim Borowski and Clemens Fritz out with long injuries. Diego hasn't been a hundred percent lately because of a pubic bone inflammation. That sums it up. The other players have jumped into the breach, but they can't always play to the limit.

bundesliga.de: On Matchday 27, the top game pits Stuttgart against HSV. Which will prevail: VFB's offence, which was outstanding in Hannover, or Hamburg's defence?

Herzog: For Hamburg, it'll be important that their defence holds steady in Stuttgart. VfB are on the move again, after not a very good start to the season. For a while things looked really bad. But that's how things go for a lot of teams after winning the title. But I'm predicting a draw.

bundesliga.de: Down at the other end of the table, there's Duisburg versus Cottbus. Both of them won against big teams recently. Which one can keep a streak going?

Herzog: Duisburg won in Bremen. But of course a victory over Cottbus would be more important. MSV could get ahead of Cottbus and put them on the spot. But at the moment both teams are under tremendous pressure. When you're playing near the top of the table, it's a positive pressure. But in the battle against relegation, your existence is on the line, and that really strains you.

bundesliga.de: Bayern left some points behind in Nurenberg, but the competition still couldn't close the gap on them. Does that sound familiar?

Herzog: Bayern have the best squad now. Someone like Franck Ribery can decide a game on his own. When Ribery is on form, they're going to win games. And that's the case most of the time.

bundesliga.de: Two more questions. Who are going to clinch Champions League berths? And who will be relegated?

Herzog: Hamburg will finish second. Werder are getting a bit weaker, and Schalke are going to be weakened by their quarter-final matches against Barcelona in the Champions League. But I think Bremen will be able to come away with third place.

bundesliga.de: And who will be relegated?

Herzog: Nurenberg are of course the season's big disappointment. But I hope they don't get relegated. In the end, it'll be decided by which team picks up points on the road when no one is expecting it. Like Duisburg in Bremen. But I can't say for sure.