Bundesliga Preview Show - Matchday 20
Cologne - Cologne - The Bundesliga Preview Show is the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga's weekly TV programme, offering a global audience a unique perspective on Germany's top flight throughout the season. We have in-depth previews of the upcoming league action, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes reports, the best goals from the latest league encounters and much more besides.
Transfer Highlight
Coming up on the Bundesliga Preview Show this week...
VfL Wolfsburg pulled off the most spectacular coup of the winter transfer period with the signing of Andre Schürrle from Chelsea. The World Cup winner arrived at the second-placed Wolves on transfer deadline day, putting pen to paper on a four-and-a-half-year contract. After one-and-a-half years in London, Schürrle is ready to light up the Bundesliga once more. The pacy winger previously starred for 1. FSV Mainz and most recently Bayer 04 Leverkusen, where he scored 18 goals in 65 Bundesliga appearances.
History
The meeting of VfB Stuttgart and FC Bayern München is a long-established classic, pitting together southern Germany's two biggest clubs. It has provided Stuttgart with a few moments to remember down the years - but not all too many, and certainly not of late. The Swabians have lost their last nine league encounters with their Bavarian rivals, a club record they could well do without and one which they are determined not to extent into double figures on Saturday. Bayern, naturally enough, have other ideas. Whatever the outcome, a crowded house is guaranteed: The sides' 95 top-flight tussles have attracted an official total of precisely 5,280,534 spectators - more than any other pairing in the Bundesliga.
Rising Stars
Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg got his first taste of Bundesliga action for Bayern München at the age of 17 years and 251 days, making him the youngest player ever to turn out for the record champs in the top flight. Still only 19, the Danish midfield prodigy has just moved to FC Augsburg on loan until the end of the season – simultaneously extending terms at Bayern through to 2018. Höjbjerg is convinced the Bavarian Swabians have 'the team and the coach to make me a better payer.' On the evidence of his home debut against 1899 Hoffenheim, the benefit is going to be very much mutual.
Spotlight
Pinning down a regular first-team berth at FC Bayern is no easy undertaking, given the ubiquitous pool of talent available to Germany's, and one of the world's, biggest clubs. Since earning a shotgun promotion from the reserves when Louis van Gaal took charge in 2009/10, however, Thomas Müller has been pretty much a fixture for the record champions ever since. At 25, the wily and ultra-versatile attacker has already won close on everything there is to win the game, UEFA Champions League and World Cup included. And while some of his particular qualities might be as hard to pin down as the player himself, Müller's remarkable staying power week-in, week-out is certainly not in question. More on Bayern's Mr. Ever-Ready.
All this, and much, much more on this week's edition of the Bundesliga Preview Show
