With the Bundesliga back in action, post shutdown, well ahead of other major leagues, a worldwide television audience on a scale that normally views the English Premier League is anticipated. The football should be as good, though the names may be less familiar. So here’s a guide to who’s who in Germany’s top flight, as seen through a Premier League lens.
Bayern Munich. A glorious history, a sense of entitlement and, most likely, an imminent title. Recognise the traits? Bayern have not set a pace quite like this season's Liverpool, but they are in daunting form and lethal up front, where Robert Lewandowski has more goals this term - 39 - than Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane combined.
Borussia Dortmund. Young, dashing but a little too fragile to stand comparison with the club's more rugged teams of the recent past. Yes, the Dortmund of wonderkids Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland are a mirror of youthful Chelsea.
RB Leipzig. The most upwardly mobile club in Germany, with a satellite branch in New York, among other places. Much like empire-building Manchester City - or so they hope at ambitious Leipzig, where memories of life in the third division are still vivid.
Borussia Monchengladbach. Once upon a time, Monchengladbach ruled the land, with five titles in the space of eight years. Then came the fade into ordinariness. A parable there for fallen Manchester United.
Bayer Leverkusen. Or, as a famous taunt has it, Bayer 'Neverkusen', the club with the tantalising habit of glimpsing silverware and never capturing it. They are the Tottenham Hotspur of 21st century German football.
Schalke. Magnificent stadium, great support base, and a talent factory that has produced talents as distinct as Jens Lehmann, Sead Kolasinac and Mesut Ozil. Alas, they turn brittle under pressure. Step forward, modern Arsenal's German twin.
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The top scorers in the Bundesliga
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Marius Bulter, Union Berlin (seven goals). Getty -
Suat Serdar, left, of Schalke (seven goals). AFP -
Andrej Kramaric, of Hoffenheim (seven goals). AFP -
Patrik Schick, of RB Leipzig (seven goals). AFP -
Goncalo Paciencia of Eintracht Frankfurt (seven goals). AFP -
Breel Embolo, of Borussia Moenchengladbach (seven goals). AFP -
Milot Rashica, of Werder Bremen (seven goals). AFP -
Philipp Max, of Augsburg (seven goals). AFP -
Nils Petersen, of Freiburg (eight goals). AFP -
Marcel Sabitzer, of Leipzig (eight goals). Reuters -
Philippe Coutinho, left, of Bayern Munich (eight goals). AFP -
Alassane Plea, of Borussia Monchengladbach (eight goals). AFP -
Erling Haaland, of Borussia Dortmund (nine goals). Getty -
Kevin Volland, of Bayer Leverkusen (nine goals). AFP -
Jhon Cordoba, of Cologne (10 goals). AFP -
Rouwen Hennings, of Fortuna Dusseldorf (11 goals). AFP -
Sebastian Andersson, Union Berlin (11 goals). AFP -
Wout Weghorst, of Wolfsburg (11 goals). AFP -
Marco Reus, centre, of Borussia Dortmund (11 goals). AFP -
Florian Niederlechner, of Augsburg (11 goals). AFP -
Serge Gnabry, of Bayern Munich (11 goals). AFP -
Robin Quaison, of Mainz (12 goals). AFP -
Jadon Sancho, of Borussia Dortmund (12 goals). Reuters -
Timo Werner, of RB Leipzig (21 goals). AFP -
Robert Lewandowski, of Bayern Munich (25 goals). Reuters
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Wolfsburg. Imagine an unfashionable provincial city, where the football club had just spent two seasons skirting the cliff-edge between top flight and second tier. Then imagine them winning the title a few months later. That was Wolfsburg's fairytale less than a decade ago; it was Leicester City's six years later.
Freiburg. It's been a rollercoaster decade: Promotion, relegation, an adventure in Europe. But a long-serving manager has kept them stable through the yo-yo years. Bravo to Freiburg and coach Christian Streich, the Bundesliga's answer to Burnley and Sean Dyche.
Hoffenheim. Investment, planning, and a finely-tuned scouting network can drive you into the top division. But once there predators start treating you as a feeder club. Like Southampton, Hoffenheim always sell their best discoveries. And as at Southampton, the very best end up at Liverpool, to whom Roberto Firmino was sold.
Cologne. A vibrant, loyal support. A city geared to football. That's the good news. The bad? All those diehard fans have had a tortured time these last 20 years, and learned, as painfully as any follower of Newcastle United that passion and history count for only so much.
Union Berlin. Promoted last summer, sole representatives in the top flight of the pre-unification East German league, Union have defied expectations this season. The so-called 'Iron Union' are to the Bundesliga what steely Sheffield United are to the Premier League.
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The top scorers in the Premier League
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Harry Wilson, Bournemotuh, seven goals. Reuters -
Ayoze Perez, Leicester City, seven goals. EPA -
Riyad Mahrez, Manchester City, seven goals. EPA -
Alexandre Lacazette. Arsenal, seven goals. Reuters -
Sebastian Haller, West Ham United, seven goals. Reuters -
Jack Grealish, Aston Villa, seven goals. EPA -
Callum Wilson, Bournemouth, eight goals. Reuters -
Neal Maupay, Brighton & Hove Albion, eight goals. Reuters -
Roberto Firmino, Liverpool, eight goals. Reuters -
Jordan Ayew, Crystal Palace, eight goals. Reuters -
Dele Alli, Tottenham Hotspur, eight goals. Reuters -
Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City, nine goals. Reuters -
Son Heung-min, Tottenham Hotspur, nine goals. Reuters -
Gabriel Jesus, Manchester City, 10 goals. EPA -
Richarlison, Everton, 10 goals. Reuters -
Chris Wood, Burnley, 11 goals. AFP -
Raheem Sterling, Manchester City, 12 goals. EPA -
Teemu Pukki, Norwich City, 11 goals. Reuters -
Anthony Martial, Manchester United, 11 goals. EPA -
Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur, 11 goals. Reuters -
Raul Jimenez, Wolves, 13 goals. EPA -
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Everton, 13 goals. Reuters -
Tammy Abraham, Chelsea, 13 goals. AFP -
Marcus Rashford, Manchester United, 14 goals. PA -
Sadio Mane, Liverpool, 14 goals. Reuters -
Danny Ings, Southampton, 15 goals. Reuters -
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool, 16 goals. EPA -
Sergio Aguero, Manchester City, 16 goals. Reuters -
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal, 17 goals. Reuters -
Jamie Vardy, Leicester City, 19 goals. AFP
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Eintracht Frankfurt. Remember when Eintracht graced a European Cup final? You need to go back a long way, to 1960. So too with Wolves, Uefa Cup finalists in 1971, but currently celebrating their revival with a march through the Europa League, in which Eintracht made the semis last year after a lengthy period of obscurity.
Hertha Berlin. Let's say your city gets to host a major international event, the 2006 World Cup final, say, or the 2012 Olympics, and you inherit the high-spec, publicly funded arena. The future would be bright, wouldn't it? Not so for Hertha, nor yet for West Ham United. They both look ill-at-ease with the grandeur of their stadiums.
Augsburg. Shortly before the shutdown of the Bundesliga, Augsburg appointed their fifth different manager - Heiko Herrlich - in four years. Maybe that'll help. It has for Watford, since Nigel Pearson became their fifth new manager since 2016.
Mainz. Good managers get made in Mainz, from the charismatic Jurgen Klopp to Paris Saint-Germain's studious Thomas Tuchel. For that, they echo Bournemouth, where Harry Redknapp was launched into management and celebrity, and where the thoughtful Eddie Howe builds his reputation.
Fortuna Dusseldorf. Wistful for those far-off days - it's been more than 40 years - when they were good enough to reach a major European final, Fortuna have lately spent too much time in the second tier. Ditto Aston Villa, a former European champion battling against a quick drop back to the Championship.
Werder Bremen. Bremen have only ever spent one season outside the top tier of the Bundesliga. So, shouldn't they be performing more often like a true heavyweight? Everton fans would sympathise.
Paderborn. Newly promoted last summer? Check. In the relegation zone since October? Check. Six points shy of possible safety? Check. Yes, Paderborn look ominously like Norwich City.
