We still await the return of the Premier League with bated breath, but for now the German Bundesliga will do just fine.
The Korean League provided some entertainment last week, but there is only so much football satisfaction that a 1-0 win for Jeonbuck Motors against Suwon Bluewings can provide.
Luckily, elite European is returning this weekend. Here is a Platform’s guide to each team, to enhance your viewing experience.
FC AUGSBURG
Current league placing 14th
Last season finish 15th
Known for Were first promoted to the Bundesliga in 2011
Player to watch Florian Niederlechner
FC Augsburg have been consistent performers in the Bundesliga since their promotion nine years ago. In 2015 they qualified for the Europa League and lost 1-0 over two legs to Liverpool in the round of 32.
BAYER 04 LEVERKUSEN
Currently 5th
Last season 4th
Known for Losing the 2001 Champions League Final to Real Madrid
Player to watch Jonathon Tah
Leverkusen have been consistently one Germany’s top teams. They are yet to make the breakthrough and win a title that would help establish them alongside Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund as top-dogs in Germany.
BAYERN MUNICH
Currently 1st
Last season 1st
Known for Winning the European Cup five times, the most of any German team
Player to watch Robert Lewandowski
Bayern are the undisputed kings of German football. They have won seven titles in a row and don’t look like stopping yet. They are the only German club who could truly be described as a member of the European elite.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Currently 2nd
Last season 2nd
Known for Their famous yellow wall (Not that you will be seeing that)
Player to watch Erling Haaland
If Bayern are the kings of German football, then Borussia are undisputedly the princes. They have been chasing Bayern closely for the past few years. They currently sit four points behind, and with Haaland – son of former Leeds player Alf-Inge Haaland – averaging a goal every 57 minutes they will still fancy their chances.
BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH
Currently 4th
Last season 5th
Known for They are putting cardboard cut-outs of their fans in the stadium
Player to watch Alassane Plea
Monchengladbach are regulars in European competitions. They also set the record for the biggest win in the DFB-Pokal – the German FA cup – when they beat BSC Hastedt 11-1 last season.
EINTRACT FRANKFURT
Currently 12th
Last season 7th
Known for Losing 7-3 to Real Madrid in the European Cup final in 1960
Player to watch Kevin Trapp
Frankfurt’s performances have dropped off this season and they will be looking to make up for lost ground when they resume at the weekend. Still nine points off a possible European finish, they need to turn their performances around ASAP.
FORTUNA DUSSELDORF
Currently 16th
Last season 10th
Known for They are the only club in Germany to ever get relegated to the fourth division then make their way back up
Player to watch Rouwen Hennings
Dusseldorf will be battling to avoid relegation on the resumption. Hennings has scored 11 goals this season, so they will be relying on him to keep them out of trouble.
1899 HOFFENHEIM
Currently 9th
Last season 9th
Known for It was originally founded as a gymnastics club before reforming into a football club in 1945
Player to watch Andrej Kramaric
Recently Hoffenheim have been one of the better sides in the Bundesliga, qualifying for Europe in both 2017 and 2018. They missed out last season, but manager Alfred Schreuder has time to put that right.
HERTHA BERLIN
Currently 13th
Last season 11th
Known for They play their home games at the famous Olympiastadion in Berlin
Player to watch Dodi Lukebakio
Hertha have made plans to have their own purpose-built stadium by 2025, so they will be looking to sign off their time at the Olympiastadion with a flourish. Former Chelsea midfielder Salomon Kalou has been suspended after breaking the social distancing rules.
FC KOLN
Currently 10th
Last season 1st (Bundesliga 2)
Known for Their club mascot is a goat
Player to watch Jhon Cordoba
After qualifying for the Europa League in 2017, the 2017-18 season didn’t go well for them as they suffered relegation. Fortunately, they returned to the Bundesliga at the first attempt and are now consolidating in mid-table.
MAINZ
Currently 15th
Last season 12th
Known for The first club Jurgen Klopp managed
Player to watch Robin Quaison
Mainz are a normally solid Bundesliga team that have found themselves in a relegation fight this season. They are four points off the drop zone and will be looking to increase that gap, starting this weekend.
RB LEIPZIG
Currently 3rd
Last season 3rd
Known for They were only founded in 2009
Player to watch Timo Werner
Bankrolled through their sponsorship from Red Bull, the progress made by Leipzig is incredible. They stamped their authority on the European stage with a 4-0 aggregate win over Spurs in February, but they are yet to win a major trophy in Germany.
SCHALKE 04
Currently 6th
Last season 14th
Known for They won six titles from 1934 till 1942
Player to watch Suat Serdar
Their first game back is against their bitter rivals Borussia Dortmund, so manager David Wagner – formerly Huddersfield Town boss- will want his players on their A-game from the first whistle. They have only scored 33 goals this term, so they need to boost those numbers.
SC FREIBURG
Currently 8th
Last season 13th
Known for Germany manager Joachim Low had three spells here as a player
Player to watch Nils Petersen
Petersen is the club’s all-time leading-goal-scorer. He has added eight this season. They traditionally bounce between the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, but will be hoping to have a prolonged stay in the top division this time round.
SC PADERBORN 07
Currently 18th
Last season 2nd (Bundesliga 2)
Known for They only became a professional club in 2005
Player to watch Marlon Ritter
Before this season they had only ever spent the 2014-15 season in Germany’s top-flight. Currently sitting bottom of the table, they have not yet been cut-adrift. Their bid to survive could provide some compelling action.
UNION BERLIN
Currently 11th
Last season 3rd (Bundesliga 2)
Known for During the 2014 World Cup the club invited fans to take their own sofas to the ground to watch the games on the big screens
Player to watch Sebastian Andersson
They gained promotion by beating Stuttgart in a play-off. They became the first team to be promoted to the Bundesliga from what used to be East Berlin.
VfL WOLFSBURG
Currently 7th
Last season 6th
Known for Their women’s team is one of the best in Europe
Player to watch Wout Weghorst
They won the league title in 2009, but haven’t been able to repeat the success since. Despite narrowly avoiding relegation in 2018, they remain one of Germany’s strongest teams.
WERDER BREMEN
Currently 17th
Last season 8th
Known for They reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 2009
Player to watch Claudio Pizarro
Werder are a Bundesliga mainstay and it would be a major surprise if they were relegated. Their survival battle will be followed keenly in Germany and by new Bundesliga converts.
This guide has helped you decide which Bundesliga team you are going to back.
This weeks fixtures
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke 04
RB Leipzig v SC Freiburg
1899 Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin
Fortuna Dusseldorf v SC Paderborn 07
FC Augsburg v VfL Wolfsburg
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Mönchengladbach
FC Koln v Mainz
Union Berlin v FC Bayern Munich
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen
BT Sport will be showing all the fixtures from the Bundesliga.
By Alex Brinton