The countdown is on for the return of top-flight football and national leagues, with an especially thrilling season anticipated in the Bundesliga. Bayern Munich will be chasing Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, while Borussia Dortmund aims to re-enter the title race. The German league kicks off on August 23 at 8:30 PM with Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Bayer Leverkusen and will conclude on the weekend of May 17.
Vincent Kompany's new Bayern Munich will debut against Wolfsburg, while Borussia Dortmund faces Eintracht Frankfurt. Regarding direct clashes, Bayern Munich will play Bayer Leverkusen on the fifth and 22nd matchdays. The Bundesliga schedule, unlike Serie A, is symmetrical. The first showdown between Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, who are coming off a Champions League final loss to Real Madrid, will be on the 12th matchday, with the return leg on the 29th. Finally, Bayer Leverkusen will face the yellow-blacks on the penultimate matchday of both the first and second rounds.
The "Der Klassiker" between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund is set for the weekend of December 1 at Signal Iduna Park. The return leg is scheduled for March 13 at the Allianz Arena. There won't be the "Revierderby" or the Rhine derby this season, as both Schalke 04 and Cologne are still in the Zweite Bundesliga, the second tier of German football.
Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich kick off a weekend of top-tier football
21 Nov - 23:06 •
1' min
Here's a look at the transfer market for the three big German clubs. Bayern Munich has officially signed Michael Olise, born in 2001, from Crystal Palace for over 50 million euros, Portuguese international Palhinha from Fulham for 51 million, and Ito from Stuttgart for approximately 23 million.
Bayer Leverkusen has added Terrier and Belocian from Rennes for 20 and 15 million euros respectively, and Aleix Garcia from Girona for about 18 million. Borussia Dortmund, under new manager Nuri Şahin, has started the post-Terzic era with a double signing from Stuttgart: defender Waldemar Anton for over 20 million euros and new striker Guirassy for 18.5 million euros.
As the season approaches, all eyes will be on how these teams and their new additions will perform in what promises to be an exciting Bundesliga campaign.
