GOAL! The Bundesliga Magazine Preview
Munich - GOAL! The Bundesliga Magazine is the DFL's weekly TV programme, offering an international audience a unique perspective on Germany's top flight on a regular basis throughout the season. In-depth previews of the upcoming league action, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes reports, the best goals from the weekend and much more besides.
Top Game I
Coming up in this week's edition of GOAL! The Bundesliga Magazine...
Two of the Matchday 1 winners go head-to-head next at the ESPRIT Arena as Fortuna Düsseldorf make their first home Bundesliga appearance in 15 years against - of all clubs - traditional local rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach. While the Foals scraped the points at home to 1899 Hoffenheim first time out, promotion/relegation play-off victors Düsseldorf came away from Augsburg with a maximum haul thanks to a brace from supersub Dani Schahin - one of their many summer signings. Norbert Meier's men would of course love nothing better than to extend that excellent start with a follow-up success against Gladbach. The visitors, surprise fourth-place finishers last season, have their own agenda naturally enough and this, beyond doubt, will be one very hotly contested Rhine derby.
Top Game II
It's derby day in the south of the country as well, albeit at inter-regional level, as Bayern Munich play host to VfB Stuttgart - two sides who enjoyed contrasting fortunes on Matchday 1. Bayern rained on Greuther Fürth's Bundesliga debut parade, securing an ultimately comfortable 3-0 win on the road against their new northern Bavarian rivals. Stuttgart meanwhile went down at home to Wolfsburg, missing a penalty and then promptly conceding a breakaway goal in the dying minutes to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Bruno Labbadia's men now have the daunting task of coming away from the Allianz Arena with something tangible in order to avoid yet another misfiring season start. For their part, Bayern's only concern is to open their home account with three more points towards their self-proclaimed goal of returning to the top of the Bundesliga pile this season.
3 Minutes with...
...Armin Veh, certainly one of the more contented Bundesliga head coaches in the wake of the weekend action after Eintracht Frankfurt marked their return to the top flight with a turnaround home win against Bayer Leverkusen. Having guided Eintracht straight back to the Bundesliga in his first season in charge Veh, who led VfB Stuttgart to the title in 2007, is now targeting a campaign of consolidation as the first stage in the process of re-establishing the Eagles among the powerhouses of the German game.
Team Report
1899 Hoffenheim aim to make this the year that they break out from the mid-table mediocrity that has seen them finish eleventh in each of the past three seasons. To that end, coach Markus Babbel has added a few experienced names to the mix at a club with a professed policy of blooding promising young talents. Prominent among the new faces is six-time Germany international custodian Tim Wiese, who is ready for a new challenge after seven years at Bremen - and is impressed enough by Hoffenheim's ambition to have turned down the chance of a move to Real Madrid, among others.
History Special
Champions Dortmund and record champs FC Bayern are once again widely expected to make the running in the race to take the 50th Bundesliga title. The very first winners of Germany's newly-created national league back in 1963-64 however were 1. FC Köln. In many respects, particularly with regard to its economic management, the club was ahead of its time back then. Out on the pitch, a blend of the experienced likes of World Cup-winning captain Hans Schäfer and emerging prospects such as midfielder Wolfgang Overath also left the Billy Goats in a class of their own come the season's end.
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