Ahead of the new season, skysports.com takes a look at the 18 top-flight clubs in Germany.
Ahead of the new season, skysports.com's Bundesliga correspondent, Thomas Zocher, looks at the 18 top-flight clubs in Germany
The 2010/11 season was a campaign to remember in Germany. A young and exciting Borussia Dortmund squad won the title, relegation went to the final day of the season, and the managerial roundabout turned at a bizarre pace.
Dortmund kick-off the new term on Friday night when Jurgen Klopp's defending champions host Hamburg. And ahead of what promises to be another dramatic and eventful nine months, skysports.com's German correspondent, Thomas Zocher, considers the prospects of all 18 clubs.
Augsburg
Manager: Jos Luhukay
Stadium: Impuls Arena
Star man: Simon Jentzsch, goalkeeper
League position in 2010/11: 2. Bundesliga runners-up
Overview: It is going to be the first time Augsburg have featured in the Bundesliga. The progress is largely down to the work of Dutch manager Jos Luhukay and general manager Andreas Rettig. As he did at his former clubs in Germany, Luhukay has worked with a large amount of players from the Dutch Eredivisie. Luhukay, known for his soft and conceptual approach, will start his third season in charge of the club with the knowledge that staying in the top flight would be an even bigger success than leading the club to promotion.
Bayer Leverkusen
Manager: Robin Dutt
Stadium: BayArena
Star man: Michael Ballack, midfielder
League position in 2010/11: Runners-up
Overview: Bayer Leverkusen are one of many Bundesliga clubs with a new manager. The departure of Jupp Heynckes, who returned to title rivals Bayern Munich, has been compensated with the arrival of former Freiburg boss Robin Dutt. Leverkusen's thinking behind the appointment of Dutt seems obvious. Dutt has had ongoing success at low-budget outfits. If he can reproduce this success, Leverkusen could rid themselves of the nickname of 'Neverkusen', which is based on their failure to win a Bundesliga title. There have been some squad changes. Star midfielder Arturo Vidal has joined Juventus and former Liverpool defender Sami Hyppia has retired. The biggest signing has been Andre Schurrle from Mainz. Leverkusen paid almost £7.5million for the Germany international, who has been a revelation in the past two years.
Bayern Munich
Manager: Jupp Heynckes
Stadium: Allianz Arena
Star man: Mario Gomez, striker
League position in 2010/11: Third
Overview: It is a new manager and a handful of new signings at record Bundesliga title-winners Bayern Munich. But the return of boss Jupp Heynckes from contenders Leverkusen brings back memories. Heynckes starts his third spell as manager of the club after a brief stint in 2009 and an earlier tenure in 1987. The club's most controversial signature of the summer, due to his lifelong affiliation with Schalke, was Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. But Neuer is expected to become an influential member of the Bayern team, despite the scepticism of club fans. The shot-stopper is undoubtedly among the best in the game and he joined Bayern because he feels they are the German club to meet his trophy aspirations. Bayern have spent almost £40million on transfers this summer, which is almost half of the overall spending of the whole league and provides a signal of their intent.
Borussia Dortmund
Manager: Jurgen Klopp
