After a curtailed winter break, the Bundesliga is back. The story of the season so far has been one of fairy-tale overachievement for some, spectacular underachievement for others, teams struggling to score, scoring at will and drama on and off the pitch. The Rückrunde is set to be no different. Here’s a preview to whet the appetite.

The title race: new challengers

 Despite Bayern Munich going into the Christmas break top of the Bundesliga table by two points and looking to win their ninth consecutive Meisterschale, this year could very well see other clubs knock them off the top spot.

The Rekordmeister have certainly not been fully firing this term when you look at last season’s treble-winning campaign. Worries over Bayern’s pre-season squad depth have only intensified throughout the season, with key players picking up injuries, most notably, Joshua Kimmich. With a congested fixture list, Hansi Flick’s team has looked unconvincing at times, suffering from an inability to start well, remarkably conceding first in their last seven Bundesliga games. Teams will be quietly confident of taking points off them.

Nonetheless, Bayern will find hope in the fact that Kimmich, responsible for bringing tempo and tenacity to the side, should be fit once more for the restart. Winner of FIFA’s recent ‘The Best’ award and the top goalscorer in Europe in 2020, Robert Lewandowski has continued his exceptional form (17 goals from 13 games) and will, once again, be pivotal to Bayern defending their crown.

Back on top of the table!