#bundesliga

#bundesliga

Starting with the hosts, while Stuttgart might have signed off the 2024/25 campaign with three consecutive Bundesliga victories, Sebastian Hoeneb's side have largely come crashing back down to earth this time around. Desperate to book an immediate European return this year, Die Roten have the feel of a squad who are still searching for some crucial stability. Last seen marking their return from September's international break with a remarkable late collapse as they fell to a 3-1 defeat away at Freiburg,

It was an afternoon that was supposed to be about VfL Wolfsburg as the club celebrated their 80th birthday with as much flourish as this industrial corner of Lower Saxony could muster, with billowing clouds of green and white smoke accompanying club legends including 2009 champion Grafite and iconic defender Naldo leading the team on to the pitch in front of a (rare) sold-out crowd.

I've always looked forward to playing against Bayern, and it's the same this time. Especially because I'm meeting not just one, but several former teammates. Playing in Munich is a highlight, but it's still a normal football game. Eleven players on each side, 90 minutes and a bit more. We want to win this game,

The Bundesliga is known as the proving grounds of upcoming talent. Most of the best players in Europe's top five leagues have played in Germany before, then gets sold off for bigger fees to other clubs. The BuLi also buys players, but wisely, and its exploits over the offseason saw it place third among the top five leagues in expenditure: